(a) The Department of General Services shall, on an ongoing basis, monitor the research and development efforts to produce synthetic motor vehicle fuel derived in whole or in part from coal and shall determine the feasibility of converting State-owned vehicles to operate on such synthetic fuel.

(b) In making its determination of the feasibility of using a synthetic motor vehicle fuel derived in whole or in part from coal, the department is authorized to utilize such synthetic fuel in a limited number of State-owned vehicles on an experimental basis and to make necessary mechanical changes in those vehicles to facilitate the experimentation.

(c) If, as a result of the monitoring and experimentation conducted in accordance with subsections (a) and (b), the department determines that there is a sufficient, assured supply of such synthetic fuel which can be used in one or more State-owned vehicles at a reasonable cost and without creating any significant threat to the environment, the department shall submit to the General Assembly a plan for such conversion. Such plan shall be accompanied by a summary report setting forth the basis for the department's determination that such conversion is feasible.