Clean Cities Celebrates 30 Years of Advancing Sustainable Transportation Solutions
DOE-funded initiative boosts national energy security, economic vitality, and quality of life
Clean Cities, composed of 75 coalitions across the country, is celebrating 30 years of boosting the national energy security, economic vitality, and quality of life. Launched in 1993 by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Clean Cities coalitions work in urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout America helping businesses and consumers meet climate, financial, and energy goals through sustainable transportation fuels and technologies.
“We are so proud to be celebrating 30 years of such important and impactful work,” said Michael Berube, DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation and Fuels. “For three decades, Clean Cities has been a trusted partner, providing people across the country with the best information and knowledge on the latest clean transportation technologies.”
Through projects focused on increasing vehicle efficiency, shifting to alternative energy sources, and offering consumers additional transportation choices, Clean Cities coalitions have saved the equivalent of 13 billion gallons of gasoline and prevented more than 67 million tons of emissions from polluting America’s skies.
“Coalitions work in their communities to understand local priorities and offer resources and expertise backed by real-world experience,” said Mark Smith, Technology Integration Program Manager for DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office, which oversees the program. “Clean Cities is transforming transportation by bringing the latest technologies to the streets and providing technical assistance with lasting, meaningful results.”
The anniversary features celebrations near Washington, D.C. mirroring local events across the country that highlight decades of work building bipartisan support and forging deep connections within the transportation industry. To date, Clean Cities coalitions include active partnerships with more than 20,000 public and private stakeholders. Thriving on a culture of collaborative change, coalitions harness decades of deployment expertise to advance sustainable transportation systems.
The origin of Clean Cities dates to the passing of the Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988 and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. These laws, which encouraged the production and use of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) and the reduction of vehicle emissions, led to the creation of the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) in 1991. The AFDC's initial objective was to collect, analyze, and distribute data used to evaluate alternative fuels and vehicles.
The Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct) required certain vehicle fleets to acquire AFVs. Subsequently, DOE created Clean Cities in 1993 to provide informational, technical, and financial resources to EPAct-regulated fleets and voluntary adopters of alternative fuels and vehicles.
For more information, please visit https://cleancities.energy.gov/.
|
