Communication Key to Building Partnerships, Securing Funding
In late November, Boston-based Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) received a substantial credit from the Internal Revenue Service for the use of compressed natural gas in its 360 transit buses. It was the first credit the authority received from a three-year tax program. For MBTA, the credit translates into $7.4 million over three years, or roughly $600,000 each quarter.
According to Massachusetts Coalition Coordinator David Rand, Clean Cities played an important role in MBTA receiving the credit. It was Rand who tipped off the authority to the credits after learning about them at a stakeholder meeting he held in March.
"NGV America's Paul Kerkhoven presented on the credits during our meeting," says Rand. "Afterward, I contacted MBTA, and they said they weren't aware of them. When they did the math they realized they were eligible for $7.4 million."
This is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when Clean Cities brings the right people to the table, says Mike Scarpino, manager for the northeast region. He encourages coalitions to hold regular stakeholder meetings to keep the lines of communication open between local and regional members.
"I don't know if I can recall another coalition meeting that resulted in a savings of more than of $7 million for a single stakeholder," says Scarpino, "but I definitely consider this another example of the power of the Clean Cities network."
Kay Milewski, manager of Clean Cities' north central region, agrees. "Never underestimate the power of a quarterly stakeholder meeting," she says. "Stakeholder meetings and events are probably the best opportunities to network with one another and establish partnerships for various projects and funding opportunities."
However, she acknowledges that coordinating schedules for regular in-person meetings can be difficult. In that case, she suggests coordinators put technology to work by setting up blogs or conference calls.
"Pittsburgh Clean Cities has a Google group where members can post e-mails and news articles about the various alternative fuel-related activities occurring in the region," she says. "You can set your e-mail preferences for how often you want to get updates and all the latest group news comes straight to your inbox. It's a great way for stakeholders to stay current on important and timely issues that impact their fleets and network with one another between stakeholder meetings."
But don't stop with stakeholders, says Mike Bednarz, manager of the western region. He encourages coordinators to invite neighboring coalitions to meetings to develop collaborative projects that benefit larger regions.
"The contacts and connections that occur in coalitions every day are helping to make a difference and move our industry forward," says Scarpino. "By bringing interested parties together through Clean Cities, we are learning and spreading new information that, in turn, benefits everyone."
