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The NEVC would like to welcome our newest Clean Cities Coalition members: Hampton Roads Clean Cities Coalition, Land of Enchantment Clean Cities Coalition, Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition, South Shores Clean Cities Coalition, Tulsa Area Clean Cities Coalition and Triangle Clean Cities Coalition. These organizations have joined the other Clean Cities groups that are already members of the NEVC to assist in supporting our goals of advancing the use of E85 as a form of alternative transportation fuel. “E85 has many advantages from our perspective, especially a high potential in rapidly increasing non-petroleum fuel use among the general public,” said Nic van Vuuren, Hampton Roads Virginia Clean Cities Coordinator. Among corn grower and ethanol marketing groups, these clean cities organizations join DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors as members of the NEVC. “The automakers are to be credited with breaking the chicken-and-egg conundrum by making American fuel vehicle technology available on a large scale. It is now up to organizations like ours to work with the private sector, public policymakers, and the general public to help close the circle by making E85 refueling available to those who want to be able to choose an American fuel,” stated van Vuuren. “The NEVC has provided invaluable support and advice to the Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition throughout its life,” said Patricia Tangney of the Palmetto Coalition. “Support has included everything from informal phone conversations to helping organize meetings to promote ethanol.” These organizations have high hopes for E85 in the near future. As indicated by van Vuuren, “currently, our plan is to help bring in the first elements of E85 refueling infrastructure to our region so that we can appeal to those consumers who recognize that E85 presents an economically healthier option for the U.S. This educational effort will help speed the transition to a self-sustainable E85 market when public policy evens the playing field with respect to gasoline through market incentives for E85. We feel that consumers must be able to choose their fuel based on true costs that are properly reflected at the retail point of sale. The incentives currently in the Energy Bill will go a long way to reaching this goal. After passage, our role will be to actively educate the private sector about the opportunities presented by this policy, and to gauge whether or not more efforts may be needed perhaps from a state or local level. We are also supportive of initiatives in our region to bring ethanol production to the east coast, in hopes of helping make the economics of E85 competitive with gasoline." Thank you all who help us in our efforts to promote this clean-burning, alternative fuel!

Newest Member of the NEVC Designated as Clean City Coalition

As of August 4, 2003, the Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition (PSCFC) has become the newest Clean City Coalition in the United States. The organization in South Carolina has been designated recently but has been involved with the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Program since 1999. “The PSCFC is mostly concerned with adding vehicles and infrastructure throughout the state,” said Patricia Tangney of PSCFC. “Thanks to one of our major stakeholders, the coalition has funds dedicated to installing ethanol infrastructure and we are very anxious to develop some viable projects. We are in talks with two petroleum marketers now to do that.” PSCFC has their work cut out for them. A recent survey identified 1,232 alternative fuel vehicles in Columbia and its surrounding counties and in Catawba/Centralina. About 691 of these AFVs are flexible-fuel vehicles. “Even more exciting, most respondents said that they planned to buy and operate more AFVs in the next five years. The importance of developing markets for domestically produced fuels cannot be overstated,” commented Tangney. “The US imports more oil now than it ever has, the world isn't becoming a safer place, widespread deployment of fuel cell vehicles is still a question mark, and oil production will peak in our lifetimes. Alternative fuels must continue to be an important part of our national strategy to become more energy-independent.” A designation ceremony date has not yet been set for the coalition. An event in early September will be planned when the coordinators return from much-needed vacations.