KINGSTON, R.I. – July 8, 2008 – The Ocean State Clean Cities Coalition, based at the University of Rhode Island, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a stakeholders meeting July 21 from 10 a.m. to noon to discuss alternative fuel vehicles and the progress being made to build infrastructure to support these vehicles.
Free and open to the public, the event will take place in conference room A of the state Department of Administration building, 1 Capitol Hill, Providence.
Those with a professional interest in alternative fuel vehicles, including fleet managers, fuel providers, infrastructure builders, transit agencies, automobile dealers, environmental groups and chambers of commerce, are encouraged to attend.
“The meeting will be an exciting opportunity for anyone with an interest in alternative fuel vehicles to learn about programs and partnerships, network with other like-minded individuals, get technical support and learn about grant opportunities,” said Wendy Lucht, coordinator of the coalition.
The keynote speaker will be Michael Scarpino, Clean Cities project manager at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, who will discuss the debate over the use of food crops like corn and soybeans in ethanol and biofuels. He will also announce the availability of grants from the U.S. Department of Energy to support alternative fuel vehicle programs.
Other speakers include Babak Alizadeh, president of the Alternative Vehicle Service Group, Michael Manning of National Grid, and Brenda Pope, vice president of the R.I. Airport Corp., each of whom will discuss the successful installation of a compressed natural gas station at T.F. Green Airport. In addition, Robert Cerio, energy resource manager for The Hudson Companies, will discuss biodiesel use in fleet vehicles, and Frank Stevenson, supervising air quality specialist at the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, will review the recently enacted Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2008 as well as anti-idling legislation passed in 2006.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Clean Cities program supports public and private partnerships that deploy alternative fuel vehicles and build supporting infrastructure. Its mission is to enhance America’s energy security and air quality through technologies that reduce petroleum consumption.
One of 90 coalitions around the country, the Ocean State Clean Cities Coalition, a program of the URI Energy Center, has been promoting alternative fuels in Rhode Island since 1998.
For additional information about the Clean Cities Coalition or the July 21 meeting, contact Wendy Lucht at 401-874-2792 or wlucht@uri.edu.