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You are at Home > What's New Posted January 23, 2007 In August of 2006, the nonprofit organization, the Clean Energy Coalition, took over management responsibility for the Ann Arbor Area Clean Cities program.. This 501(c)3 nonprofit organization was created specifically to house the program.. To learn more about the Clean Energy Coalition, click here. Posted January 23, 2007 The Clean Energy Coalition is currently administering a statewide program to provide incentives to retail fueling stations for the installation of B20 biodiesel or E85 ethanol fueling infrastrtucture. To learn more about this exciting program, click here. Posted January 23, 2007 Whether you are a fleet operator interested in greening your operations or a concerned citizen interested in learning more about the options available to you: we have an event that suits your needs. To learn more about what's in store for 2007, click here. Posted January 23, 2007 Did you know that Washtenaw County is one of the leading counties statewide in offering its residents a diversity of alternative fuel options? Whether you are interested in comperessed naturral gas, biodiesel, ethanol, or propane, we have a fueling site not too far from you. Learn more abou these fueling locations. Posted June 28, 2006 Click here to download the minutes from the meeting. Posted June 22, 2006 AACC will be showcasing the City of Ann Arbor's newest fleet vehicle, a Ford Focus Fuel Cell, at the fantastic Rolling Sculpture Car Show. The event runs from 2 pm to 10 pm in downtown Ann Arbor. This top quality show features more than 400 exotic, classic, concept, art, and GREEN vehicles! Click here for more details. Come stop by and say hello! Posted June 5, 2006 The IRS has issued a new interpretation of tax credit law to treat vehicles converted to natural gas as new vehicles, thus making them eligible for the alternative fuel motor vehicle credit. The guidance extends the tax credit to all conversions, regardless of the original in service date of the vehicle, by defining the "original use" of the vehicle as the first date the vehicle is placed in service as an alternative fuel vehicle. Thus, any converted vehicle first placed in service as an NGV after January 1, 2006 and for which the conversion system manufacturer has received a certificate of conformity from the EPA or California Air Resources Board is eligible for the credit. To download additional information, click here. Posted March 29, 2006 AACC conducts an annual survey of stakeholders to determine its progress in petroleum displacement. 2005 was an incredibly strong year with a 94% increase in vehicles powered by alternative fuels. Most of these gains were the result of the increased use of biofuels, most notably biodiesel. To see graphs tracking our progress, click here. Posted March 20, 2006 RKA Petroleum Cos. is the first terminal facility in Michigan -- and one of only a handful in the country -- to offer pre-blended biodiesel. A Michigan-based petroleum distributor, retailer, carrier and terminal operator, RKA is now offering electronically blended biodiesel at the rack at its terminal facility in Romulus, Michigan, contributing to increased availability of supply to the marketplace. To download the full press release, click here. Posted February 24, 2006 Click here to download the minutes from the meeting. Posted January 13, 2006 USEPA, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, NextEnergy, and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth - Energy Office are pleased to present this one-day conference aimed to educate public and private fleet managers, public officials, trucking companies, school districts, and other stakeholders on the various strategies, fuels, and technologies available in the marketplace to assist fleets in conserving fuel, decreasing emissions, and saving money. There will be networking opportunities with technology vendors (including hybrids, idle reduction, emission controls and fuel suppliers), government officials and fleet managers. The Michigan Clean Fleet Conference is the premiere event to learn how fleets can modernize their operations to address current environmental and energy challenges.Registration details and preliminary agenda will be posted at www.michigan.gov/deqworkshops - select "Upcoming Workshops". Posted January 13, 2006 Greater Lansing Area Clean Cities Coalition in conjunction with the Detroit and Ann Arbor Coalitions present Advancing the Choice in the state capitol. Advancing the Choice is an annual Clean Cities sponsored event to educate and promote alternative fuels and AFV issues. This year's (2006) event will be targeted toward educating our state legislators about biofuels, as there are several bills that have been or will be introduced in relation to alternative fuels. The event will take place on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 at the state Capitol (in the Rotunda and adjacent wings). Vendors can display their companies' materials from 10:30-2:30 (set up at 9:30, teardown by 3:30) in the hallways off the Rotunda, with a short program at noon. The cost to participate in this event is $400/company, which will include a listing as a sponsor for the event (food). For more information, contact Rachanee Kitchel, Greater Lansing Area Clean Cities Coordinator. Posted January 12, 2006 Through a generous grant from the Michigan Energy Office, AACC was able to print biodiesel stickers and window clings for your biodiesel powered vehicle, as well as very cool biodiesel t-shirts. The stickers and window clings are available for free at the store counters of Meijer's 3995 Carpenter Road (Ypsilanti) or 3145 Ann Arbor Saline Road (Ann Arbor) fueling stations. Get one after you fill up with your next tank of B20! Take a picture of the sticker on your diesel car, send it to us with your name, address, and shirt size, and we will mail to you one very cool biodiesel t-shirt! Contact Sean Reed at AACC today! Posted November 2, 2005 The 2005 Energy Bill passed by Congress and signed by the president has numerous provisions that make natural gas vehicles more attractive than ever. The natural gas vehicle credits fall into three major areas: (1) tax credit for building fueling infrastructure, (2) tax credit for the purchase of a dedicated NGV (half of the incremental cost of the NGV over it's gasoline/diesel counterpart) and (3) fuel tax credit to the seller of the fuel ($ .50 per gallon). To download a fact sheet listing all of the incentives, click here. Posted October 21, 2005 October 21, 2005 marks a great day for biodiesel in the state of Michigan. Wacker Oil of Manchester marked the sale of its millionth gallon of B100 biodiesel for the year. How much is a million gallons of biodiesel? It's enough to fill 20,000 bathtubs or one swimming pool 267 feet long (about the size of a football field), fifty feet wide, and 10 feet deep. It's also enough to operate a transit fleet of 100 buses for about a year. Now that's a lot of biodiesel! Posted 9/30/05 Posted 9/28/05 On Friday, October 14th, Clean Cities Coalitions across the country will be holding local events to celebrate displacing more than a billion gallons of petroleum. The Ann Arbor Area Clean Cities Coalition will hold its event at Meijer's 3995 Carpenter Road fueling station in Ypsilanti Township from 11:30 am to noon. Join us as we pump the billionth gallon! Want to learn more: > Click here to download the Ann Arbor event invitation. Posted 8/25/05 You have to see it to believe it: click here. Posted 7/20/05 The Clean Cities program is overseen by the federal Department of Energy (DOE), which requires local Coalitions to renew their Memorandum of Understanding with the DOE every 5 years. AACC has been been working to become "re-designated" since our Coalition celebrated its 5 year anniversary last year. The process has involved the re-commitment of AACC stakeholders and a revision of the goals and objectives of our program. AACC received a letter, dated June 16, 2005, from Shelley Launey, Director of the National Clean Cities program, stating that our application for re-designation had been approved! Many thanks to our stakeholders who have renewed their commitment to the Clean Cities program and its goal of reducing our nation's dependence on petroleum! To download a copy of the complete application for re-designation, click here. Posted 7/20/05 The stakeholders of the Ann Arbor Area Clean Cities Coalition have voted to
create a new nonprofit entity to house our program. This new nonprofit is incorporated in the state of Michigan as the Clean Energy Coalition. We will begin interviews of Board candidates in August. We are looking to create a diverse board with members from a variety of backgrounds and interests (having an interest in energy issues is important, but this is not all we are looking for!). If you have an interest in assisting with this nonprofit's development by sitting on its board of directors, serving in another volunteer capacity, or are simply just interested in learning more, please contact Sean Reed today.
Posted 6/6/05 A University of Florida researcher has developed a breakthrough technology, a genetically engineered E. coli bacteria, that produces ethanol from farm wastes such as corn cobs and leaves. This technology, which is 90-95% efficient, could potentially replace half of U.S. petroleum fuel. To learn more, click here. Posted 6/2/05 The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and DOE Clean Cities are offering a total of $200,000 in funding for projects to create propane-powered vehicle programs that increase the number of propane gallons sold, reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, and reduce pollution from conventionally powered vehicles. To learn more, click here. The Michigan Biomass Energy Program is offering a maximum award of $2,500 to support workshops or events that increase public awareness about energy or fuel derived from Michigan Biomass Energy resources. To learn more, click here. Posted 5/27/05 After five days of debate, the Senate Energy Committee has passed a broad Energy bill by a margin of 21-1. According to analysis by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, the Senate Energy Bill would more than double the energy savings of the U.S. House bill. The significant features of the bill include a provision to double U.S. ethanol production by 2012 and a directive for the President to decrease U.S. dependence on oil by 1 million barrels a day by 2015. The cost of the bill is estimated at 8 billion dollars and is expected to go to the full Senate in June. To learn more, click here. U.S. Senate Energy Committee Rejects Higher Fuel Economy Standards The U.S. Senate Energy Committee rejected a Democratic proposal to require mini-vans and sport utility vehicles to have the same gas mileage standards as passenger cars by 2011. The panel voted 15-7 against closing the "SUV loophole" which would have raised the bar from 21 mpg to 27.5 mpg for light trucks. To learn more, click here. Hybrid Toyota Camry to be Manufactured in Kentucky In a move that has been hinted at for months, Toyota confirmed reports that it will begin manufacturing a hybrid model of the popular Toyota Camry in Georgetown, Kentucky. Production will begin in 2006 with an estimated roll-out of 48,000 vehicles annually. To learn more, click here. Saving Oil in a Hurry! According to a new report, Saving Oil in a Hurry, by the International Energy Agency, consumers must begin planning now for a potential oil shock. The report examines many measures which could be implemented in the event of an oil super spike of over $100 per barrel. To read a summary of the report, click here. Join Us On the 2005 Southeast Michigan Biodiesel Bus Tour, April 11th The 2005 Biodiesel Bus Tour will leave from the Michigan Farm Bureau (7373 West Saginaw Highway) in Lansing on Monday April 11th at 7:30 am. The bus will visit a variety of sites in Southeast Michigan and will return to the Farm Bureau at 5:30 pm. Lunch is included in the FREE tour. To register for the tour, contact Sean Reed. Space is limited, so let us know today if you would like to get on the bus! To download a PDF with more information, click here. Come to the Meijer Biodiesel Grand Opening Celebration, April 11th Monday, April 11th is a very special day in Washtenaw County, marking the ribbon cutting of Meijer's biodiesel (B20) pumps in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. Join us for a Grand Opening Celebration event at the fueling station located at 3995 Carpenter Road in Ypsilanti. The event will take place from 2 to 3 pm. Come and thank Meijer for their good work in supporting the use of alternative fuels! Fear This: The Oil Super Spike Goldman Sachs has issued a report stating that oil prices could "super spike" and hit $105 a barrel, primarlily due to economic growth in the U.S. and China. This could spell disaster for the U.S. economy. To learn more, click here. Canda / Automakers Reach Landmark Greenhouse Gas Deal The Canadian government has reached a historic agreement with automobile manufacturers to reduce 5.3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2010. In order to accomplish this, vehicles will have to increase their efficiency by 25%. However, as most industry analysts observe, the ramifications of this deal will potentially go far beyond Canada. To learn more, click here. Be Patriotic: Drive a Fuel Efficient Vehicle! In a survey conducted by the Civil Society Institute, 2 out of 3 respondents stated that they felt it is patriotic to buy a fuel efficient vehicle since it helped to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. An overwhelming majority of 89% of those polled stated that they felt it was important for the government to take action to reach a 40 mpg fuel efficiency level for U.S. vehicles. To learn more, click here. Volkswagen Extends Warranty Protection to B5 In a joint announcement with Archers Daniel Midland (ADM) on National Ag Day, Volkswagen has stated that it will extend warranty protection to a blend of B5 (5%) biodiesel. VW and ADM are working jointly on testing B20 blends as well, but have not yet approved B20. To read the press release, click here. U.S. Senate Votes to Open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to Oil Drilling After more than two decades, it appears that oil exploration in ANWR is close to becoming a reality. The U.S. Senate voted 51 to 49 in favor of keeping the drilling resolution in a budget resolution to fund the federal government. To learn more, click here. DaimlerChrysler Says First Hydrogen Car for Sale in 2012 Mercedes A Class fuel cell vehicles will reach commercialization in 2012 according to DaimlerChrysler. 60 of these vehicles are currently on the road today in Japan, Germany, SIngapore, and the United States. To learn more, click here. E85 Internet Toolkit Now Available The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) has announced the launch of a comprehensive internet based "E85 tookkit" to inform and educate fleet operators and retailers about E85 and flexible fuel vehicles.. You can access the toolkit by clicking here. To read the NEVC press release, click here. Bipartisan National Commisssion on Energy Policy Releases Report Clean Power from Turkey Droppings! Just when you thought you had heard it all, a power plant will be built in Minnesota powered by, of all things, turkey droppings. What exactly can't we make power from? The plant, which will be the largest of its kind in the world, will burn 90% turkey dung and provide power to 55,000 Minnesota homes. According to its financiers, the plant will be carbon neutral. To learn more, click here. GM & DaimlerChrysler Team Up to Develop Hybrid Propulsion System GM and DaimlerChrysler have signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding to work jointly on the development of a hybrid propulsion system. The team members that will develop the hybrid system will be based in Michigan, but will come from all over the world. The first applications of the system are targeted towards the automakers' SUV lineup. To learn more, click here. Sam Bodman Selected by Bush to be U.S. Energy Secretary President Bush has nominated Sam Bodman to be the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Although Bodman would bring strong administrative experience to the position, he lacks a background in energy policy. To learn more, click here. U.S. Petroleum Demand to Grow 37% by 2025 According to the U.S. Department of Energy Energy Information Administration's 2005 Annual Energy Outlook, petroleum demand is set to grow 37% from 20.45 million barrels per day in 2004 to 27.93 million barrels per day in 2025. Depite repeated calls by politicians to cut U.S. reliance on foreign sources of oil, oil imports will comprise 68% of U.S. petroleum needs in 2025. To learn more, click here. U.S. Automakers Sue to Block California's New Air Quality Regulations The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, comprised of Ford Motor Co., Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, and six other car and truck companies have joined with a group of California car dealers in filing a lawsuit opposing California's new air quality regulations. The regulations are the nation's first to attempt to lower greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more, click here. Honda Ranked Cleanest Automaker by Union of Concerned Scientists The emissions performance of Honda was ranked as the best for the third consecutive time by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit alliance of more than 100,000 scientists and activists. General Motors slid to last in the overall rankings. To access the full report, click here. FedEx to Use Hybrid Trucks for Holiday Deliveries FedEx has announced that it will use two hybrid-electric "Special Delivery" trucks to collect toys, food, and clothing that will be distributed by local agencies and charitable organizations. To learn more, click here. November NEVC Newsletter Now Posted The latest NEVC Newsletter has now been posted. To access the newsletter, click here. 60 MPG Smart Car Available in U.S. Soon! ZAP, a California based company, that until now has specialized in electric vehicles, has paid $10 million for the exclusive rights to distribute the DaimlerChrysler Smart car which has been available in Europe for years. Click here to learn more about the Smart car. Download The Fall 2004 AACC Newsletter! Our fall newsletter is now available online as a downloadable PDF file. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please contact us and let us know! To download the file, click here. Energy Information Administration (EIA): Get Used To The High Price of Oil The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration has published its October Short-Term Energy Outlook. They project that the price of a barrel of oil is expected to stay above $40 per barrel at least until the middle of 2005. Now more than ever, it's time to think about ways to conserve fuel. To access the report, click here. Energy & Climate Change: What path will we take?A new report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development analyzes the policy and technology options for both meeting world energy demand and addressing issues related to global climate change. To download a PDF of the report, click here. Michigan's Renewable Energy Potential is "Massive" According the Union of Concerned Scientists, a national renewable energy standard of 20% by 2020 would produce more than 4,900 Michigan jobs and save Michigan families and businesses $1.7 billion in lower utility bills. To learn more, click here. Kerry/Edwards Release Energy Plan and Bush/Cheney Respond John Kerry and John Edwards have released an Energy Plan which details how, if elected, they would work to help America achieve energy independence. The plan includes a national goal of meeting 20% of motor fuel demand through the usage of alternative fuels by 2020. To download the plan, click here. To read the Bush - Cheney Response to the plan, click here. August 19th National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition Newsletter Now Posted To access the newsletter, click here.
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