Biden Pushes Clean Cars on Earth Day

LANDOVER, Md. - You'd think it was still the campaign season the way Joe Biden worked a crowd of Metro mechanics Wednesday. The Vice President came to Metro's maintenance facility in New Carrollton to announce the availability of another $300 million in federal funding for alternative fuel vehicles.

On the anniversary of the first Earth Day, Biden told the mechanics that the nation does not have to choose between the ecology and the economy. Biden argued that stimulus programs for "greener" vehicles will keep more jobs in America.

The Vice President's message resonated with the mostly blue-collar crowd.

"That's what we need," said Fred Kennedy, a bus shelter mechanic for Metro. "Too many people out here [are] losing their homes."

Kennedy praised the administration's emphasis on employment, adding, "That's the name of the game: gettin' jobs."

Metro managers plan to seek part of the grant money to purchase more diesel-electric hybrid buses. The hybrids are quite expensive -- $558,000 a bus. But they pollute less and save money over time.

"We currently use 11.1 million gallons of fuel [a year]," explained Metro Assistant Chief Engineer Bob Golden. "So, theoretically, with a fleet of hybrid-electric buses, we would save almost a million gallons of fuel a year."