Five years after the institution of EPACT, the government issued an Addendum to Mobile Source Enforcement Memorandum 1A, commonly known as Memo 1A. Originally, some AFV's actually increased the emissions on cars. This Addendum to Memo 1A outlined three options to regulate the converting of vehicles to alternative fuels. Options 1 and 2 call for a certification of conformity by the EPA or equivalent on all converted vehicles. Due to the lack of EPA certified products, Option 3 was developed and only required the manufacturer to test to see that the alternative fuel conversion system didn't deteriorate the vehicle's original emissions. This is known as EPA compliance, but falls vastly short of EPA certification. The results of "Option 3" are exactly what the original act intended to avoid, products that end up decreasing the vehicle's performance but not its emissions

Today, the alternative fuel industry is constantly changing with increased technology coupled with increased standards. However, these increased standards are never given the chance to be realized because of the extension of concessions such as "Option 3." Now more than ever, alternative fuel vehicles (AFV's) are being seen as catalysts in America's struggle for energy independence and a cleaner, healthier environment. For some reason the alternative fuel industry has not taken EPA certification seriously. Instead, the industry typically counts on concessions like "Option 3" that allow for the production of a lesser product that does not completely meet the end users' needs. Problems like America's dependency on foreign oil and environmental concerns such as greenhouse gases are considered long-term problems; however, these variances aren't even short-term solutions. Here at Campbell - Parnell, Inc. we have made the decision not to settle for anything less than EPA certification, and we believe that the alternative fuel industry should not either.

*Note: As of December 31, 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency no longer allows the use of "Option 3."

List Current EPA Certifications