CACC Selected for Recovery Act Grant Award
Nearly $15 million dollars awarded for alternative-fuel vehicles and infrastructure
Details at US DOE Recovery-Act website
Energy Secretary Steven Chu with Vice President Joe Biden on August 26, 2009, announced a number of awards under the US Department of Energy 2009 Clean Cities Petroleum Reduction Technologies grant program. The City of Chicago, in collaboration with Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition and Gas Technology Institute, was selected for an award of $14,999,658 -- equal to the entire amount of its proposal. The Recovery-Act-funded program includes 16 projects in the Chicago area.
The combined benefits of these projects will reduce harmful vehicle emissions by 448 metric tons per year, reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by 7,647 metric tons per year, displace 3.08 million gasoline gallon equivalents of petroleum per year, and result in 77 created and/or retained jobs. Petroleum displacement by this project over the course of the ownership period of the proposed vehicles, and fuel sales from the infrastructure, over a reasonably assumed lifecycle, exceed 21 million gas gallon equivalents.
Marketing and outreach activities disseminating information and benefits of the project will catalyze similar efforts by public and private fleets throughout the region. The collective, practical experience of the project partners’ in the deployment of alternative-fuel projects and advanced vehicle technologies ensures the achievement of the following goals:
(1) to generate local jobs through the installation of alternative-fueling infrastructure;(2) to increase the number of alternatively fueled vehicles in the Chicago region;
(3) to develop fueling stations and charging infrastructure which will support the exponential growth of alternative-fuel use;
(4) to reduce the amount of traditional petroleum utilized by the transportation sector; and
(5) to enhance regional air quality.
This project proposes to deploy 554 alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles and install 149 alternative-fuel fueling and electric vehicle charging stations throughout the Chicago region.
More information on the awards announced under this grant program nationally, along with brief descriptions of each project and a map of awardee locations can be found on the US DOE website at www.energy.gov/recovery/cleancities.htm.
Green Vehicle Buyer's Guide
The US Dept. of Energy's Clean Cities program has released its 2009 Vehicle Buyer's Guide, and you can download the CACC version (PDF - 4 MB). This is a great resource for learning at a glance about light-duty, green vehicles available to meet your needs.
