News from Maine Clean Communities

AltWheels Fleet Day is an invitation-only day for the largest corporate and municipal Fleet Managers on the East Coast. The day consists of panels, exhibits, and vehicles offering a showcase of alternativetransportation solutions - from concept vehicles to vehicles that are available and affordable today.

Click here for more information!

Clean Cities Awards $8.5 million for Electric Vehicle (EV) Community Planning Initiatives

Including Maine Clean Communities!

Projects to support community planning for plug-in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure will receive $8.5 million through DOE's Clean Cities initiative to facilitate local public-private partnerships that will develop EV deployment strategies.

These one-year projects will help communities address their specific needs, which include updating permitting processes, revising codes, training municipal personnel, promoting public awareness, or developing incentives, and each will create a plan that will be publicly available so that other stakeholders can learn best practices.

Maine was part of an 11-state consortium led by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Clean Cities' coalitions throughouth the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Total funding for the project is $994,500 and Maine Clean Communities expects to receive about $50,000.

This funding will help continue the important work we have already begun with our EV Stakeholder Group and EV Feasibility Study (including an EV survey) that is currently being finalized. Check our website for the final version to be available in a few weeks!

Maine Clean Communities is a locally based government/industry partnership, coordinated by the US Department of Energy and administered by the Greater Portland Council of Governments to expand the use of alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuel, and reduce the use of petroleum for transportation.

Natural Gas Workshop

For Fleets to be Held

September 14th

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Brunswick Landing, Brunswick

Natural gas costs, on average, are one-third less than conventional gasoline at the pump. The U.S. Energy Information Agency reports that natural gas, on average, costs 42 percent less than diesel fuel on an energy equivalent basis and is expected to cost 50 percent less by 2035.

To View Workshop Agenda and to Register click here.

Thank you to Brunswick Landing, NGV America, Maine Natural Gas, Messer Truck Equipment, Casella, AVSG and BAF for their generous sponsorship!

Casella logo

AVSG Logo

Tour the UNH Co-Gen Plant and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Refueling Station

September 30th

The next Granite State Clean Cities' stakeholder meeting will be held at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, where they will celebrate the opening of UNH's newly refurbished Compressed Natural Gas fueling station and tour the campus's Combined Heat and Power Generating Facility.

Ride one of UNH's CNG buses to the Landfill Gas Facility to continue the tour (optional).

GSCCC Stakeholder Meeting and Campus Tour

Where: Memorial Union Building, UNH, 83 Main Street, Durham, NH

When: 9:30 a.m. (refreshments from 9a.m. - 9:30a.m.)

RSVP: Dolores Rebolledo (603) 271-6751 or

dolores.rebolledo@des.nh.gov

Agenda:

9:30 a.m. Introductions and speakers

11:15 a.m. CNG fuel station and vehicle maintenance garage tour

Lunch - UNH Dairy Bar

1:15 p.m. Co-Gen facility tour

Note: Seating is still available on the bus to the landfill in Rochester. RSVP now if you plan on touring the landfill. Bus will leave campus at 2:00 p.m., returning around 4:30 p.m.

Toyota Lends Maine Clean Communities Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle Prototype

For the last several weeks, Maine Clean Communities has been test-driving a loaned

Plug-In Hybrid Prius vehicle.

These vehicles are not available in the U.S. commercially yet, so Toyota is getting feedback from fleet drivers and other organizations across the country on how they perform.

Toyota Plug-In Hybrid

Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid

Maine Clean Communities staff drove the vehicle and found that although the pure EV driving mode averages about 14 miles between charges, when the hybrid/gas engine takes over, fuel efficeincy averaged about 56 mpg.

Since 85% of current hybrid vehicle owners in the Greater Portland Area commute 10 miles or less, this plug-in hybrid vehicle would be ideal. Access to a 110 volt outlet for re-charging the vehicle is necessary and takes about three hours.

Staff also made the vehicle available for test-drives to other organizations including Central Maine Power, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, GPCOG, Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Governor's Office of Energy Independence and Security. A lot of positive feedback has been relayed back to Toyota as a result.

Steve Linnell

Coordinator, Maine Clean Communities