2024 Energy Independence Summit

"Every community can win with clean fuels." - Alleyn Harned, Transportation Energy Partners President and West Virginia Clean Cities Executive Director
Monday, February 26, 2024 - Energy Independence Summit (EIS) partners with the Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies program to advance the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) injects $1.2 trillion into transportation and infrastructure spending, marking a monumental step towards combating climate change and reshaping the transportation sector.
“We know our bipartisan and all-inclusive approaches in Washington DC and our home states make a difference,” said Jonathan Overly, Transportation Energy Partners Treasurer, and CEO of the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition. Our collaborative efforts encompass a diverse range of alternative fuels, ensuring resilience and adaptability, with a focus on generating greenhouse gas and criteria pollutant reductions for the health and wellbeing of all Americans.”
Representatives from Clean Cities & Communities Coalitions nationwide embarked on a comprehensive outreach effort, meeting with delegates from their home states to discuss the transformative potential of clean fuels in transportation. Later that day, a select group of Clean Cities convened with transportation policy experts at the White House, making a full round of the Capitol and leaving a significant impact.
"On the Hill and at the White House, we emphasized our nationwide efforts, focusing on zero-emission transformative transportation and infrastructure technologies across energy sector states in oil, gas, power generation, and mining. Our initiatives introduce common-sense solutions, strengthen job training, utilize legacy workforce expertise, and strategically deploy innovative technologies, leveraging the depth of American energy sector knowledge," emphasized Tammie Bostick, Transportation Energy Partners Vice President of Operations and Utah Clean Cities and Communities.
Guided by this blueprint, the initiative is dedicated to insulating Americans from volatile gas prices, reducing fossil fuel dependence, and transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, all while fortifying the American workforce with clean energy jobs. Strategies to clean up coastal and inland ports, build regional hydrogen hubs, and expand clean fuels to off-road, rail, maritime, aviation, and freight continue to be the focus of the Clean Cities transportation work. To support this work effectively the request for Fiscal year 2025, the initiative requests $75,000,000 for the DOE Clean Cities Program, comprising $40,000,000 for competitive grants and $30,000,000 for direct coalition funding. Requesting a 10 year extension of existing tax incentives for alternative fuels and infrastructure implementation and national investment from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
"The United States must aggressively expand our use of domestically produced alternatives to petroleum fuel if we are to reduce the impact of volatile petroleum prices on our economy, improve air quality, and create more American jobs," emphasized the Transportation Energy Partners (TEP) board.
For over 30 years, Clean Cities coalitions have played a pivotal role in deploying over 30 million alternative fuel vehicles, supported by a network of more than 173,000 alternative fueling stations.