Clean City Facts
Reducing America's "addiction to oil" is important to our security, economy and environment. Policy makers and Americans of all political persuasions want action now.
Fortunately, we already have a coordinated federal deployment initiative devoted to energy security. It's called Clean Cities. 92 community or state-based coalitions, with over 5,000 stakeholders, are working to make America more energy secure by displacing petroleum with cleaner domestic fuels and increasing vehicle efficiency. These voluntary public/private partnerships bring together state and local governments, alternative fuel interests, vehicle manufacturers, fleet managers, non-government organizations, and private citizens. Clean Cities coalitions have plans and targets for oil displacement through various initiatives
| Technology | Million GGEs | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Alt. Fuel Vehicles | 165 | 65.7% |
| Fuel Economy | 65 | 25.9% |
| Idle Reduction | 10 | 4.0% |
| Low-Level Blends | 8 | 3.2% |
| Hybrid Vehicles | 3 | 1.2% |
| Total | 251 | 100% |
| Non-Vehicle Total | 86 | 34.3% |
| Please note that over a billion GGE displaced since program inception. | ||
Clean Cities coalitions have been increasing their AFVs at a growth rate of approximately 17% per year, and project similar progress in the future. In areas without coalitions growth is much lower. Clean Cities are where the rubber meets the road with over a decade of proven success!
Incredibly, as the sense of urgency about America's petroleum dependence has increased in recent years, Clean Cities funding has diminished. The staff and stakeholders within local and state coalitions are passionate, experienced and effective champions. Our collective expertise and cohesive networks are needed now more than ever before. Investments in this Clean Cities network are needed now to help curb America's dangerous addition to oil.
We ask your support for the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities program, including support for the national network of coalitions. To show your support, please sign the "Dear Colleague" letter requesting an appropriation of $20 million for Clean Cities. We also ask you to oppose any earmarks that would siphon off any of this $20 million.
This funding should be used for grants to help increase availability of domestic fuels such as biodiesel, E85, compressed natural gas and propane, acquire energy-saving vehicles and equipment such as anti-idling devises, deploy advanced technologies, and more. Most significantly, funding should help support the work of local coalitions, which have a proven track record of success in leveraging private sector and local investments in fueling facilities and vehicle technologies.
Many individual coalitions also support specific policies to further advance the goal of energy independence. These include tax incentives for deployment of various alternative fuels and acquisition of more fuel efficient vehicles, research and development efforts related to advance vehicle technologies, and biofuels production. These and other policies will improve the energy security of the U.S. today and in the near future while assisting in the long-term transition to a hydrogen economy.
