Bravo, President Obama
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times.
Our energy leaders in Washington D.C. should be listening to the fleet managers of North America. Their consistent message is equality among alternative fuels and leadership with respect to national energy security goals. Fleet managers want to decide what works best for their own fleet needs and corporate stewardship goals.
Guess what? The leaders are listening.
Last week President Obama announced the “National Clean Fleets Partnership” program. It outlines the plans for a partnership of five national fleets to come together and achieve a near-term goal to deploy 20,000 advanced technology vehicles, including propane autogas and natural gas (my personal favorites). If successful this short-term goal will displace seven million gallons of petroleum, annually.
The charter members of this partnership are AT&T, FedEx, PepsiCo, UPS, and Verizon, which are five of the top 10 fleets in North America and account for more than 275,000 vehicles in their fleets. The Department of Energy is encouraging all fleets to join this crusade. Partners will have the opportunity to evaluate which clean fuel is right for their application and utilize the strength and resources of the partnership to assist in deployment.
More information can be found in many ways:
- Contact your local Clean Cities Coalition at www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities
- Reference the official White House fact sheet at www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/01/fact-sheet-national-clean-fleets-partnership
- Call me 734-466-6255. I’ll get you there.
