Utah Clean Cities Joins Nationwide Call for Clean Fuels and Vehicles at Energy Independence Summit

For Immediate Release: 2/9/19

Utah Clean Cities Joins Nationwide Call for Clean Fuels and Vehicles at Energy Independence Summit 2019 in Washington, D.C.

Coalition’s Local Initiatives Show Promise of Shift to Alternative Fuels and Vehicles

NOTE : Utah Clean Cities is available for telephone interviews from Capitol Hill on February 12, 2019 or later to report on meetings with our Members of Congress and their staff.

“When private and public sector, government, social, and altruistic leaders apply pioneering partnerships and technologies to address social challenges and build sustainable communities, we experience the multiplier effect. The shared alliances we create generate an energy that seemingly doubles each time we focus on the solutions, wrestle the problem, fail, re-think the failure, and take action with a successful model. We work for this success and to move on to the next innovation. We need to move faster.”

–Tammie Bostick, Utah Clean Cities

Salt Lake City, Utah– Representatives from Utah Clean Cities will join clean transportation leaders from across the nation next week in Washington, DC to educate federal policy makers about the need to expand America’s use of alternative fuels, including biofuels, electricity, natural gas, and propane Autogas. Tammie Bostick, in addition to being the director or Utah Clean Cities, serves on the Utah Governor’s Motor Vehicle Review board and currently serves as Vice President of Operations for the national board with Transportation Energy Partners. Bostick and key stakeholders will participate in the Energy Independence Summit 2019, the nation’s premier clean transportation policy event, on February 11-13, 2019.

“Despite the recent drop in gasoline prices, gas prices remain extremely volatile and we continue to send more than $150 billion per year to OPEC and other nations for oil,” stated Tammie Bostick. “We are going to Washington to make sure our representatives understand that the United States must proactively increase our use of alternatives to petroleum-based fuels if we are to stabilize our transportation energy use and further to build resilient infrastructure for the future. We must decrease our reliance on foreign oil and use state-side renewable energy. Additionally, we need to maintain and create domestic jobs in the energy sector.”

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are about 1.2 million alternative fuel vehicles on the road in the United States and nearly 70,000 alternative fueling stations. In Utah we have over 500 alternative fueling stations to support over 50,000 advanced fuel vehicles including buses, shuttles, refuse haulers, cement mixers, utility work trucks. Utah Clean Cities also maintains and continues to grow a strong stakeholder and membership base of over 200 public and private partnerships throughout Utah. “ Our mission for clean transportation is more possible today than any other time in history. Technologies have advanced beyond early adoption. Today we have the keys to over 650 advanced-fuel vehicles and fully-loaded corridors with high-tech energy options for fueling,” noted Bostick. Utah has one of the most complete alternative fuel corridors in the nation per capita with CNG and Electric stations. “Utah joins the nation with clear commitment for clean transportation. With our dedicated Utah Green Fleet partners, regional and national allies, we continue to make a difference,” added Bostick .

Transportation Energy Partners (TEP), the Summit organizer, reports that Summit participants will have the opportunity to interact with top Administration officials, including leaders from the Departments of Energy, Transportation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, Summit participants will take their message about the need for ongoing federal support for alternatives to petroleum-based fuels to more than 200 Congressional offices.

“American industry has demonstrated the ability to produce high performing technology to meet the demand for alternatives to petroleum fuel,” stated Sam Spofforth, President of Transportation Energy Partners (TEP). “However, insufficient and inconsistent government incentives and support hinder companies’ ability to make the long-term investments required to sustain these clean transportation solutions. We need stable and predictable federal investments to enable fleets and technology developers to make sound long-term planning and investment decisions.”

About Transportation Energy Partners : Transportation Energy Partners (TEP) is a national non-profit organization that brings Clean Cities coalition leaders together with the clean transportation industry to advance policies that will reduce American dependence on petroleum-based fuels. TEP works closely with and provides policy support to the nearly 90 Clean Cities coalitions and their 15,000 stakeholders in 45 states and the District of Columbia . Since 1993, the Clean Citiescoalitions have played a leading role in implementing local programs and projects to deploy alternative fuels, vehicles, and infrastructure. The Clean Cities coalitions and their stakeholders have displaced more than 9 .5 billion gallons of petroleum through the use of alternative fuels and vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles, idle reduction technologies, fuel economy, and low-level fuel blends.