Clean Air a Priority in the Sunshine State

The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) marked a major milestone in the Clean Cities program by designating the Florida Space Coast Clean Cities Coalition as the 75th member of the program. The designation ceremony, held on the first day of October 1999-- the beginning of Energy Awareness Month -- recognized the coalition for its commitment to using alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) to curb air pollution from auto emissions and help promote new, cleaner alternative fuels.

The ceremony was held at the Florida Solar Energy Center in conjunction with the Federal AFV USER Program kick-off for the Melbourne-Titusville-Kennedy Space Center area. The Federal AFV USER Program is an interagency effort led by DOE and the General Services Administration to concentrate large numbers of Federal AFVs in certain regions of the country to help spur local AFV market development. Other cities in the program include Albuquerque, New Mexico; Denver, Colorado; the San Francisco Bay area in California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Dan Reicher, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, represented DOE at the event. He praised the partnership forged between the two groups, saying: "The Federal AFV USER Program will help build upon the foundation being laid by the Clean Cities program to further develop the market for alternative fuels and vehicles in the Melbourne-Titusville-Kennedy Space Center area."

Reicher emphasized the nation's, and indeed the world's, growing oil demand and the need for national energy security. "Our imports of oil, both in absolute amounts and percent, are at historic highs and rising. Nearly twenty-six years after the energy crisis, we're still sending money - about a billion dollars a week - somewhere else for oil."

"By using domestically produced, clean alternative fuels, you are preparing your community for the future, so that when the next disturbance in our oil supply occurs, long lines at the gasoline pump will be as much a relic of the 1970s as the Pet Rock or 8-track tapes," said Reicher. "Your plans to increase the number of AFVs on the road clearly illustrates the commitment from the Space Coast community to creating a healthier environment by cleaning the air, and to strengthening our nation's energy security by reducing our dependence on imported oil."

Former Astronaut Loren J. Shriver, the Deputy Director for Launch and Payload Processing at NASA - Kennedy Space Center (KSC), also spoke during the morning ceremony, praising the efforts of both the Space Coast Clean Cities Coalition and the Federal AFV USER Program.

"The designation of the Space Coast and central Florida area as the 75th Clean City. . . relates closely to NASA's goals of education and technology advances without negative impact to the environment," Shriver said. "Kennedy Space Center's AFV leadership within NASA supports NASA's top ten position in the number of alternative fuel vehicles in federal agency fleets. KSC's partnership investment with industry built a state-of-the-art compressed natural gas refueling facility. Its partnership with GSA to provide the vehicles overcame the chicken and egg syndrome that typically plagues public implementation of AFV applications. KSC is committed to continuing our leadership and support of these two programs being recognized today."

During the ceremony, the 40 stakeholder members of the Coalition were introduced and six alternative fuel projects were singled out for recognition. All six projects were funded by the Department of Community Affairs - Florida Energy Office, which also funds the Florida Space Coast Clean Cities Coalition.