DALLAS – AT&T said it recently deployed the 5,000th alternative-fuel vehicle in the company's fleet – a compressed natural gas-fueled van in Palmdale, Calif. The company has made considerable progress since embarking on a 10-year plan to spend up to $565 million to deploy approximately 15,000 alternative-fuel vehicles through 2018.

AT&T currently operates more than 70,300 vehicles in its corporate fleet.

"In a short period of time, with the support of community leaders all over the country, we've invested in the deployment of thousands of advanced technology vehicles that promote cleaner air, use less fuel and help AT&T lower its operating costs," said Jerome Webber, vice president of AT&T global fleet operations. "While some may see just another car or truck on the road, we think these vehicles represent the shared values of the communities where we live, work and play."

In 2010, AT&T and other large U.S. fleet operators joined the Department of Energy's Clean Cities' National Clean Fleets Partnership as part of a national challenge launched by President Obama to cut America's petroleum imports by one-third by 2025. Through 2013, AT&T anticipates it will have purchased up to 8,000 CNG vehicles at an estimated cost of $350 million. Additionally, over the life of the commitment, AT&T expects to invest $215 million to replace approximately 7,100 fleet passenger cars with alternative-fuel models.

According to a 2009 Center for Automotive Research report, AT&T's planned alternative-fuel vehicle initiative would:

• Save 49 million gallons of gasoline over the 10-year deployment period

• Reduce carbon emissions by 211,000 metric tons -- the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing 38,600 passenger vehicles from the road for one year.

Beyond the AFV deployments, AT&T is turning to its service garages to help minimize its environmental footprint and cut operating costs within its overall fleet. These programs include:

• Redirecting an estimated 60,000 old tires annually through a new recycling program that turns old rubber into fuel and consumer products

• Recycling all primary garage products, including 180,000 pounds of oil filters, 200,000 gallons of oil, and 23,000 gallons of antifreeze annually

• Eliminating the purchase of 9,000 pounds of lead annually, previously used to balance new fleet vehicle tires at high speeds.