DOE Kicks Off National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey
September 30, 2008
Sept. 30, 2008 — Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy John Mizroch kicked off the 2008 National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey along with the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) and Clean Cities stakeholders from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The event, which is also known as "Odyssey Day," occurs every other year and is dedicated to promoting petroleum-free choices in transportation. Acting Assistant Secretary Mizroch spoke about Clean Cities' accomplishments over the past 15 years, including the reduction of over 2 billion gallons of petroleum. Other speakers included the chair of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Christopher Zimmerman, and the executive director of the NAFTC, Al Ebron. After the speaking event, participants viewed the 14 heavy and light-duty alternative fuel vehicles on display, including WMATA's new articulated bus that runs on compressed natural gas.
This event marks the first in a series of over 80 Odyssey Day events that will occur across the United States in the coming weeks. Since the first Odyssey Day in 2002, Clean Cities has been a major partner, and this year over 60 Clean Cities coalitions will host events. A government-industry partnership that focuses on reducing petroleum use, Clean Cities provides regional coalitions with technical data, coordinated strategies, and program support. The coalition coordinators use these resources to carry out projects that meet the specific needs of their communities. Since its creation in 1993, the Clean Cities partnership has grown to 86 coalitions that work with 5,700 stakeholders. It has helped reduce over two billion gallons of petroleum, put more than half a million alternative fuel vehicles on the road, and played a role in the construction of over 3,000 alternative refueling stations.
See the Clean Cities Web site and the National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey Web page.
