Thirty years is a long time to work at something. Yet for the past 30 years the Clean Cities Coalition Network has, according to its website, “foster[ed] the nation's economic, environmental, and energy security by working locally to advance affordable, domestic transportation fuels, energy-efficient mobility systems, and other fuel-saving technologies and practices.”
I want to congratulate the people behind the 75 Clean Cities coalitions for the work they have done at the local level in a variety of communities—urban, suburban, and rural—to assist businesses as they work to meet climate and energy goals.
Thirty years ago there were only a few people acknowledging the need to work on climate issues that were impacted by the transportation industry, yet Clean Cities coalitions worked to draw attention to the need and to offer information and guidance on shifting to clean energy sources, improve fuel efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, today more and more people are recognizing that trucking can—and should—be doing more to operate in a more sustainable manner.
See also: Bringing trucking's voice to government's EV policymakers
And they have made a difference. According to the Clean Cities website, “Since 1993, Clean Cities coalitions have steadily increased their energy use impact each year through diverse transportation projects for a cumulative impact equal to nearly 13 billion gasoline gallon equivalents. Clean Cities coalitions have helped to place more than 1.3 million alternative fuel vehicles on the road and establish the fueling infrastructure to serve this growing market. They have also aided in the elimination of millions of hours of vehicle idling and have been instrumental in the entry of new transportation technologies into the marketplace.”
Those are very significant accomplishments, and I applaud the people in the coalitions for working tirelessly to help the transportation sector do its part for a cleaner environment for all. I am confident that Clean Cities will continue to do its work as our industry works its way through the messy middle to a zero-emission freight future.
Sorry I missed the celebration last week in Washington, D.C., but our Engagement Director Dave Schaller tells me that he was very inspired by the festivities and equally impressed with the passion all the Clean Cities leaders have for the important work going forward. Congratulations, indeed!
Michael Roeth has worked in the commercial vehicle industry for nearly 30 years, most recently as executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE). He serves on the second National Academy of Sciences Committee on Technologies and Approaches for Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles and has held various positions in engineering, quality, sales, and plant management with Navistar and Behr/Cummins.
