Demand Burning Through Pennsylvania Funds for Hybrid and Alt-Fuel Rebates

10 March 2006

The funds for Pennsylvania’s rebate program to encourage the purchase of hybrid electric and alternative fuel will run dry sometime in April, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The $500 rebates are offered on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the year as long as funds are available.

DEP Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty said the commonwealth already has awarded more than $1.3 million in rebates to more than 2,600 hybrid buyers from the $1.5 million allotted for the program for the 2005-06 fiscal year. Another $1 million will become available for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Because buyers have six months from the time of the purchase to apply for the rebates, people buying hybrid electric and alternative fuel vehicles after the current funding runs out still will be able to apply for rebates when the programs reopens.

DEP will not accept rebate forms from the time current funding runs out until the program reopens. At that time, DEP will determine the amount of the rebate.

Alternative fuels include compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, liquid propane gas, ethanol, methanol, hydrogen, coal-derived liquid fuels and fuels derived from biological materials.

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell last year banned the purchase of conventional SUVs for the state vehicle fleet and is building on this initiative with a major effort to replace conventional vehicles with hybrid vehicles. In the coming fiscal year, the state will purchase 30 hybrids and set in motion a process to continually build on this commitment so that by 2011, fully 25% of the fleet will be hybrids.