Utah Clean Cities Coalition heads to Energy Independence Summit 2021
Utah Clean Cities Joins the Energy Independence Summit for Clean Fuel, Vehicles & Infrastructure in Washington D.C.
Date: March 16, 2021
Contact: Tammie Bostick, Utah Clean Cities Executive Director
March 16th, 2021 – Salt Lake City, Utah
COALITION’S LOCAL INITIATIVES SHOW PROMISE OF SHIFT TO CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES
NOTE: Tammie Bostick, Utah Clean Cities, is available for interviews to discuss UCC initiatives.
Utah Clean Cities Coalition, UCCC, will join the Transportation Energy Partners, TEP, and clean transportation leaders from across the nation next week virtually to educate federal policy makers about the need to expand America’s use of alternative fuels, including biofuels, electricity, natural gas, and propane autogas, all of which are available as a renewable fuel today. Utah Clean Cities Coalition Board of Trustees and other key stakeholders will participate in Energy Independence Summit, EIS, 2021, the nation’s premier clean transportation policy event, on March 17-19 & 22-26, 2021.
“We have the great opportunity to virtually attend and discuss key Utah partnerships and projects to ensure that our representatives and administration understand the United States must aggressively expand use of alternative fuels. By increasing the nation’s alternative fuel portfolio we are decreasing our reliance on imported oil, and lessening our dependence on fossil fuels in the transportation and energy sector.” Said Tammie Bostick, UCCC Executive Director and Vice President of the TEP Executive Board
The Biden administration initiated a renewed focus on practical solutions to climate change that will create thousands of new clean energy jobs. The Energy Independence Summit, EIS, is a chance for leaders in industry to discuss with key leaders in the new administration. Those who will be in attendance at EIS will include the key officials of the Biden administration offices of Jennifer Granholm Secretary of Energy; Gina McCarthy White House National Advisor; Pete Buttigieg Secretary of Transportation; and Michael Regan EPA Administrator. In addition to hearing from the new Biden administration, EIS participants will virtually visit capitol hill the following week to meet with individual state delegates. They have the unique opportunity to discuss the future of the Department of Energy, DOE, Vehicle Technologies national Clean Cities program with 250 Congressional offices. The transportation experts within the Clean Cities network continue to advance the deployment and infrastructure necessary to realize the new administration goals for 100% renewable clean energy fuels for America’s transportation system- the largest in the world.
Transportation Energy Partners (TEP), 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. In the released 2021 federal priorities, TEP and UCCC emphasize the importance of the following areas.
TEP 2021 Federal Priorities Clean Transportation Infrastructure
- Enhance & extend alternative fuel vehicle, AFV, tax incentives through 2030
- Invest in existing clean transportation programs
- $1 billion for DOE Clean Cities deployment & authorization
- $1 billion for CMAQ
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- $1 billion for FTA low/no emission buses
- $1 billion for DOT Clean Fuel Corridors- include funding for signage and censure parity with gas & diesel
- $1.5 billion for EPA DERA-update DERA to ensure finds advance fuels and vehicles that provide greatest reductions in GHGs and other pollutants
- Practical Buy America policies to advance the U.S. business & employment sector.
- Ensure federal investments meet needs of underserved communities- lower income, communities of color, small & rural infrastructure and advanced fuel vehicles such as school buses, public transportation and freight movement
“American industry has demonstrated the ability to produce high performing technology to meet the demand for cleaner fuels and vehicles,” stated Alleyn Harned, President of Transportation Energy Partners. “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.”
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are about 1.8 million alternative fuel vehicles on the road in the United States and 50,000 alternative fueling stations. The transportation sector produces around 30% of the United States’s total emissions. By increasing the nation’s alternative fuels we not only reduce emissions, but bring economic benefits to the entire United States. Utah has more than 70,000 alternative fuel vehicles on its roads and over 1,500 alternative fueling stations.
“For Utah, the message is clear: we must reduce vehicle emissions with the goal of zero pollution at the tailpipe. We can, and we are, doing this while supporting resilient communities to ensure a healthy, vibrant economy with Beyond Zero Green Fleets and smart mobility strategies using renewable, advanced technologies,” said Bostick.
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Utah’s Alternative Fuel profile:
- Utah has a complete natural gas (CNG & RNG), liquified natural gas(LNG), autogas and electric corridor (EV) along I15 & I80 with a future pending corridor along I70
- 1,719 stations in Utah offer alternative fuels
- Utah has 33 renewable power plants
- 33 laws and incentives in Utah have been passed related to alternative fuels and advanced vehicles
About: Utah Clean Cities Web: utahcleancities.org
The mission of the Utah Clean Cities Coalition is to advance the energy, economic, and environmental security of the United States by supporting local decisions to adopt practices that reduce the use of petroleum in the transportation sector. Working closely with the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities programs, federal and state government, as well as our local stakeholders, we leverage our resources to bring funding into Utah to support the development and deployment of advanced fuel infrastructure and vehicles with an emphasis on renewable energies and technologies. We are committed to expanding transportation modeling by offering consultation services to access proven, state-of-the-art technological vehicles and equipment with proven return on investment for smart mobility fleets. We are here to support actionable steps to meet the challenges of our carbon-constrained world, to meet state and federal mandates, and implement sound business practices to tackle the serious nonattainment conditions in our state.
About: Transportation Energy Partners Web: transportationenergypartners.org
TEP works closely with and provides educational and policy support to the nearly 90 Clean Cities coalitions and their 15,000 stakeholders that participate in the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities program. Since 1993, the Clean Cities coalitions 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 11.5 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.
Since 2006, TEP has also convened annual Energy Independence Summits where the nation’s Clean Cities leaders travel to Washington, DC to update and educate stakeholders and federal policy makers about the benefits of the Clean Cities program and the need for additional tools and resources to overcome barriers to the widespread use of clean vehicles and fuels. As a result of some TEP efforts, leaders at all level of government are better served with funding for the deployment of clean vehicles, fuels and infrastructure.