Vol. 12, No. 4 - September 2008
Clean Cities Now is the official publication of Clean Cities, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program, designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative fuel vehicles, idle reduction technologies, hybrid electric vehicles, fuel blends, and fuel economy.
Time flies when you're having fun. That's certainly the case for Clean Cities, which is celebrating its 15-year anniversary this month.
We've accomplished a lot since September 1993, when Atlanta was designated as the U.S. Department of Energy's first Clean Cities coalition. Thanks to the enthusiastic dedication of our almost 90 coordinators and nationwide network of more than 5,500 motivated stakeholders, Clean Cities has reduced U.S. petroleum consumption by more than 2 billion gasoline gallon equivalents and put more than 500,000 alternative fuel vehicles on the road. More
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A decade and a half ago, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) designated Clean Cities' first three coalitions within weeks of one another. It all began in early September in front of Atlanta's Georgia Dome, when Bill White, then Deputy Secretary of Energy, presented then Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson with a plaque officially designating Atlanta as DOE's first Clean Cities coalition. Five days later, Denver was designated, followed by Philadelphia the next week. Since then, these coalitions have made great strides, cumulatively reducing petroleum by more than 16 million gasoline gallon equivalents (GGE) in 2007 alone and putting more than 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) on U.S. highways since 1993. But their accomplishments don't stop there. Read on to see what our founding coalitions are up to these days. More
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In 1993, the United States consumed 6 billion barrels of oil. Two-thirds of that oil was used for transportation, 40% was imported, and it came at a price of about $20 per barrel. That same year, a small ceremony in Georgia marked the beginning of a forward-thinking movement to reduce petroleum consumption and strengthen the nation's energy security, environment, and economy. That ceremony designated Atlanta as the U.S. Department of Energy's first Clean Cities coalition. By year end, five more coalitions were designated, and DOE's Clean Cities program was off and running. Fifteen years later, the program is celebrating its successes--nearly 90 active coalitions, almost 600,000 alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), and 2 billion gasoline gallon equivalents (GGE) of petroleum reduced--while continuing to lead the charge for better transportation options. "We're very proud of what we've been able to accomplish over the past 15 years, but the best is yet to come," says National Clean Cities Director Dennis A. Smith. "It's Clean Cities now more than ever." More
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In 1998, Clean Cities coordinators reported a total of 1,476 alternative fuel transit buses. Largely due to program efforts, that number has steadily increased to 8,219 vehicles over the past 10 years, and it continues to grow. Sessions at the 1998 National Clean Cities Conference emphasized the opportunities inherent in alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) niche markets. By targeting niche markets, coalitions can build a strong local market that provides fleet managers with information they need to make AFV purchase decisions with confidence. More
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