Coalition News
Walsh Receives Paul Dana Leadership in Biofuels Award
 Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman (center) and Assistant Energy Secretary Andy Karsner (right) inspect an ethanol-fueled racecar with driver Jeff Simmons at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. |
Kellie Walsh, Central Indiana Clean Cities Alliance Executive Director, is one of three recipients of the new Paul Dana Leadership in Biofuels Award. Walsh received the honor for her efforts to install E85 public pumps across Indiana. In January 2005, Indiana had no public E85 pumps. Today the state has 30 public E85 sites and commitments for 19 more.
The biofuels award was created in memory of Paul Dana, an Indy Racing League (IRL) driver killed in a racing accident in March 2006. A biofuels advocate, Dana was working with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture on several biofuels initiatives at the time of his death. Through Dana's efforts, the IRL has committed to use E10 in its cars in 2006 and E100 in 2007.
"Having gotten to know Paul in the months before his death and gotten to see firsthand his devotion, belief, and true passion for ethanol and alternative fuels, I am deeply honored to be one of the first recipients of an award in his name," Walsh says.
In Other Indiana News
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel Bodman and Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Andy Karsner attended events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 11, 2006, to commemorate Ethanol Day. Walsh met with Karsner and had the opportunity to discuss the origins and background of Clean Cities, the Beyond a Billion milestone and celebrations, and the goal of displacing 2 billion gasoline gallon equivalents of petroleum by 2008. They also discussed recent budget challenges faced by Clean Cities. Karsner and Bodman asked Walsh to keep them posted on Clean Cities activities.
Treasure Valley, Central Coast Sign on with Clean Cities
Idaho's Treasure Valley and California's Central Coast are Clean Cities' newest members. DOE approved their coalition plans in June.
The Treasure Valley Clean Cities Coalition (TVCCC) encompasses a portion of southwest Idaho--with 438,016 residents, it is the state's most highly populated area and includes Idaho's two largest cities, Boise and Nampa.
Beth Baird, environmental program coordinator for the City of Boise, is acting TVCCC co-coordinator with Leonard Herr, air-shed coordinator with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. Twenty-one companies, government agencies, and other organizations have signed a memoranda of understanding with TVCCC. Among that group are fuel suppliers, stakeholders that maintain fleets, organizations that deal with transportation issues, and agricultural interests.
The Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition (C5) comprises all of San Luis Obispo County, which is located between San Francisco and Los Angeles along U.S. Highway 101. The long-term geographic goal of the coalition is to establish a clean fuels corridor that connects the Bay Area and Southern California.
Aeron Arlin Genet and Melissa Guise are ad-hoc coordinators for the coalition, which had been a chapter of Project Clean Air. C5 has been meeting since 2002. It has more than 40 members and hosts numerous outreach events including a California Clean Cities Airport Workshop and alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) displays at Earth Day events and National AFV Odyssey Day.
The C5 Clean Cities designation ceremony is scheduled for August 25, 2006, at the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. Clean Cities Director Dennis Smith plans to attend. For more information, visit the C5 Web site.
Central Texas Pushes Plug-Ins
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The Central Texas Clean Cities Coalition in Austin has been instrumental in the national Plug-In Partners campaign. Coordinated by local and state governments, utilities, as well as environmental, consumer, and business organizations, the campaign aims to create a market for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to catch the attention of vehicle manufacturers. It encourages rebates and incentives, soft fleet orders, petition drives, and endorsements.
The national campaign was launched at Austin Energy in 2005 and quickly moved across the country. The Central Texas coalition, housed at Austin Energy, was involved early on. "At the planning meetings, we made sure everyone knew Clean Cities has the best networking connections for this type of project," says Central Texas Coordinator Stacy Neef. "We provided all the names and addresses for each coalition and recommended that whoever had meetings in each region, contact the Clean Cities coordinator first." Neef also introduced the campaign to other coordinators and encouraged their involvement.
The plug-in campaign is a natural fit for Clean Cities. National Renewable Energy Laboratory analysts estimate that PHEVs will demonstrate a 50% reduction in fuel use over conventional vehicles when they are ready for market--possibly as early as 2010. One and a half million PHEVs on the road could save approximately 20 million barrels of oil annually.
Currently more than 200 utilities; non-profits; city, county, and local governments; national security organizations; alternative fuel associations; and environmental groups have joined the Plug-In Partners Campaign.
