Survey

By all accounts the 2012 Greater Washington Region Clean Cities inaugural Expo held at Washington Gas was a great success. Plans are already underway for next year.

I would appreciate it if you would  take a moment out of your busy schedule to give us some feed back on the event.

Click here to take the GWRCCC Survey.

Thank you,

Ron Flowers
Executive Director
Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

Exciting Event on May 22nd

Never before have we had an opportunity in the Greater Washington Region to host a full day of valuable viewing and learning opportunities in the area of Alternative Fuels and Advanced Transportation Vehicles. On Tuesday, May 22nd, the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition will host its first Expo dedicated to these non-petroleum alternatives.
We invite EVERYONE to register to attend this Free event! The day will be filled with opportunities to hear the latest information about all Alternative Fuels, see many of the vehicles running on a variety of these fuels and hear about saving money on fuel by using an Alternative Fuel from those with experience in using Alternative Fuels in their fleets!
Registration is open at www.CleanCitiesEventsDC.com/expo - register today and learn how you can make a difference in reducing our dependence on petroleum fuels in transportation!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

Clean Fuels & Advanced Technology Vehicles Expo

(Washington, DC – May 4, 2012) — The Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition is undertaking a new venture to support the wider use of non-petroleum fuels in the region. The 2012 Alternative Fuels & Advanced Technology Expo is a one-day event hosted by coalition member Washington Gas. Set for May 22 and staged at the utility’s new Springfield Center in Springfield, VA, the Expo promises to be a “don’t miss” event in D.C. this spring.

The region’s largest single gathering of Alternative Fuel and Advanced Technology Vehicles will be at the heart of the Expo. Leading technologies designed to compete with gasoline-powered and diesel-powered engines will be on display for the public to see, touch, smell, and, in some cases, drive. Dozens of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles, from personal automobiles and service vehicles to Class 8 tractors and transit buses, will be on exhibit.

 But, the alternative vehicles are not the only attraction. The latest in an exciting, developing field of primarily Made-in-America technology will be accompanied at the Expo by some attractive opportunities. Many informational sessions will be of interest if you have vehicle fleets, if you are a policy maker or emergency responder, of if you’re a student or member of the general, traveling public. Consider:

●       Industry experts will discuss the status of the market for alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), and opportunities the new or growing technologies hold for customers, manufacturers and taxpayers.

●       Local, regional, state and federal representatives will talk about various governments’ policies, rules and laws that affect AFVs and Advanced Technology Vehicles. Dozens of exhibitors will display and explain various non-petroleum solutions to problems facing on- and off-road vehicle fleets, as well as their maintenance and garage operations.

●       Expo visitors will get a chance to tour Washington Gas’s new Springfield Center. The U.S. Green Building Council has given the building a gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Stroll the breezeways and learn about taking Energy Efficiency to the next level. Among the facility’s features is a stationary fuel cell that produces approximately 35% of the power requirement for the entire campus.

●       Manufacturers and operators of AFVs and AFV fleets will discuss the facts about the alternatives and the positive return on investment they make available in today’s market.

●       The latest in clean technology transportation options will also be on display — from ADA-friendly taxis that are wheelchair accessible and powered by natural gas to Electric Vehicles.  A wide array of light-, medium- and heavy-duty transportation vehicles and construction-type equipment will be there too. All the featured vehicles operate on Alternative Fuels that help America cut its dependence on petroleum.

The Expo is May 22, 2012, beginning with registration and Continental breakfast from 7:30-9 a.m. From 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. visitors may take in the displays and participate in breakout informational sessions. Exhibitor booths and vehicles positioned throughout the Springfield Center’s grounds located at: Washington Gas, 6801 Industrial Road, Springfield, VA  20012-1421.

Online registration for the Expo is open at www.CleanCitiesEventsDC.com/expo.

The Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition and Washington Gas teaming to host this event is testimony to the growing interest in the use of alternative fuels for the nation’s economic and environmental benefit. The one-day Expo will provide the practicing alternative fuels fleet manager the tools to sharpen and increase their knowledge as well introduce the completely uninitiated fleet owner/manager to the alternative fuel choices. A multifaceted program of informative presentations and discussion will provide the opportunity for dialogue covering many topics. Owners of area businesses and individuals reliant on vehicles will gain the tools to make informed decisions about whether now is the time for deployment of alternative fuel vehicles into their daily business practices. 

Those attending the Expo will have the opportunity to become “stakeholders” in the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition. The growing and reinvigorated Coalition is one of the oldest national coalitions in the Department of Energy (DOE)-affiliated program. Clean Cities stakeholders are urged to investigate ways alternative fuels and vehicles may be integrated into their businesses. Further, stakeholders advocate for the goals of DOE’s Clean Cities programs and its local coalitions across the nation. To help the public understand the available alternatives, and how some better suit certain tasks than others, experts will discuss the various alternative fuels and corresponding vehicle power trains on the emerging alternative fuels and AFV market.

In return for their commitment to the Clean Cities programs, stakeholders receive a variety of valuable benefits, free of charge. Advantages to being a Clean Cities stakeholder include assistance in pursuing available funding grants that are appropriate for their needs, and publicity and networking opportunities. Provision of cutting edge access to technical information on alternative fuels market developments, infrastructure and AFV production and ownership, as well as learning about advances and emerging issues with AFV technologies.

Those interested in reducing our nation’s dependence on petroleum, and the harmful emissions that fills our air, or interested in the opportunities for increasing the availability of American jobs, should attend this event. Representatives of the transportation industry, Alternative Fuels — Natural Gas, Propane, Electricity, Biodiesel, Hydrogen and Ethanol -- will be present to provide information and answer questions, keeping citizens informed. Never before has the Greater Washington Region had an opportunity to see so many transportation options utilizing clean fuels — and they are available now.

For the Expo, the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition has assembled an panel of alternative fuel experts who will discuss how the industry has changed in the past two years and what this year may hold.

The Expo will feature special breakout sessions for each of the Alternative Fuels. Two special sessions are designed specifically for emergency First Responders. The First Responder sessions will help prepare the firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians and others to anticipate and evaluate the intricacies responding to accidents involving alternative fuel vehicles. Instruction covers the basics of all current Alternative Fuels and Advanced Technology Vehicles operating in the region, as well as for those emerging technologies sure to be found on area highways in the near future. The dozens of cutting-edge vehicle technologies will be there for attendees to see and touch. Visitors will have the opportunity to talk to manufacturers as well as operators. First-hand response knowledge, whether shared from experts or individual personal experience will add to the value of the event, especially for those whose job it is to respond to vehicle accidents.

###

WAFA Meeting on April 18, 2012

The Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition and Washington Gas are teaming up to help D.C. region vehicle fleet operators learn from Virginia's experience in examining the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles.

 In 2011, the Commonwealth of Virginia General Assembly directed the establishment of a plan to replace state-owned or operated vehicles with vehicles that operate using natural gas, battery powered electricity or other alternative fuels. In response to that legislation and a subsequent Executive Order issued by the Governor, the Commonwealth's Department of General Services (DGS) issued a public-private partnership solicitation seeking plans to replace Virginia's fleet vehicles with potentially cleaner, cheaper, domestic, alternative fuel vehicles.

Virginia's goal is not only to support conversion of its own fleet, but to provide a solution that can serve alternative fuel vehicles owned and operated by the Commonwealth's local governments, institutions of higher education, federal fleets, business fleets, individual Virginia residents and visitors traveling through the Commonwealth in their personal vehicles.

On April 18, 2012, the Washington Area Fleet Administrators will meet with Washington Gas officials at the utility's new Center in Springfield to discuss compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative fuel choice, Washington Gas's perspective on that option, and an overview of Virginia's exploration of the issue. At this meeting, you will hear from Washington Gas executives, from Commonwealth of Virginia officials involved in the alternative fuels opportunity/partnerships investigation there, and from corporate leaders of some natural gas infrastructure providers. There will also be an open group discussion of thoughts and questions from you as fleet managers about the conversion of fleets to alternative fuel vehicles.

I hope you will join us and take part in this important discussion about the opportunities offered by conversion to alternatively fueled vehicles in your fleets. Please RSVP to Sylvia Eubanks at: Sylvia.eubanks@dc.gov 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

8:30am - 1:15pm
Washington Gas Center 

6801 Industrial Road, Springfield, VA 22151

Electric Vehicle Readiness Collaboration in Mid-Atlantic and Northeast States Launched

Transportation, energy and environment and clean cities officials from ten northeast states and the District of Columbia announced recently the formation of the Northeast Electric Vehicle Network. The Network will work to bolster economic growth, maintain the region’s leadership in the clean energy economy and reduce the area’s dependence on oil and its emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

The Network's efforts to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast will be supported largely by a nearly $1 million Electric Vehicle Readiness Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Georgetown University’s Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI). This grant will fund the development of EV key stakeholder collaboration, consumer education and outreach, guidelines for the siting, permitting, and installation of public and private EV charging stations which is viewed as a critical next step in the development of the initiative.

Collaboration through the TCI participating jurisdictions will promote all clean vehicles and fuels and facilitate planning for and the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and related infrastructure throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.  The group will also work together to attract additional public and private investment in infrastructure for clean vehicles. The private-public partnerships resulting from this collaboration will benefit residents and businesses throughout the entire corridor by reducing the use of petroleum and the emission of greenhouse gases.

Participants in the Northeast Electric Vehicle Network are the District of Columbia, Maryland Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The Washington, DC regional effort is headed by Claude Willis, Deputy Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition (GWRCCC). Willis stated “This is a very important step in developing common standards and best practices to support EV infrastructure in the DC metro region of DC, MD and northern Virginia in concert with our adjoining neighbors along the Northeast corridor. He added that “strategic support from our key stakeholders like Pepco, Eaton Corp. and other EV equipment suppliers and sponsors will certainly contribute to the success of this project. GWRCCC’s goal is to increase energy independence by reducing the region's use of petroleum and advancing alternative transportation vehicles and fuels.”

President Obama has called for 1 million plug-in vehicles to be on the streets nationwide by 2015. The participating jurisdictions’ contribution to that goal (based on population) would represent about 20 percent or 200,000 electric vehicles, according to TCI.

The Northeast Electric Vehicle Network is part of TCI's goal.  This effort builds upon over a decade of work by the states to build networks of natural gas and biofuels infrastructure.

It is estimated that about 30 percent of all the region’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector, which includes cars, trucks, ports, aviation and railroads.

For more information about the regional EV deployment plan, contact Claude Willis, Deputy Director of Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition at claude.willis2@dc.gov.

Welcome

My name is Ron Flowers. I am the Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition. In my work I am increasingly reminded about the true costs of energy, what it takes to cultivate it (on so many levels) and what it costs to sustain it. My thought in creating this blog was to open a discussion about reducing the need for imported oil and cleaning the air. 

If we are not really ready to face it, we can't fix it.
"It" is our dependency on foreign oil and all that the journey from the oil fields of Saudi Arabia to our gas gauge at the pump entails.  "It" is our inability to look at alternative energy as a higher priority in our national dialogue. "It" is the stranglehold the oil company lobbyists have on our government. As consumers, "It" is our dependency on convenience and our daily, complicit, investment in the status quo in our own lives as we drive to and from work and to the grocery store or soccer field.
How much will it cost us to change and will the cost of change only come when the cost of crisis and chaos outweighs convenience?
We have had many starts at it and each time we stop/stall in the middle of the road.

Will we make the full trip this time?

Years ago, someone said that we would go to the Moon, and because of the nation's commitment we did. What will it take to get that same kind of commitment and investment?  
I am talking about a commitment that ensures today's children and those to come of an America that values the quality of life for all above all others. I believe America has the resources to make a difference right now. 

My question is: Where is the commitment?