42 U.S.C. § 17142 — Procurement and acquisition of alternative fuels

No federal agency may enter into a contract to buy an alternative or synthetic fuel — including one made from nonconventional petroleum sources — for any use related to moving vehicles, unless the use is research or testing. If an agency does sign such a contract, it must include a promise that the fuel's lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, from producing and burning it, will stay less than or equal to the emissions of the same amount of ordinary fuel made from conventional petroleum. This comparison must hold true on an ongoing basis, not just at the time of signing.