National Parks
Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities (YTCC), in partnership with Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, has secured over $800,000 to support a variety of projects to advance cleaner and more efficient transportation in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA).
As the regional designee of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Clean Cities Program, YTCC worked with both national parks to identify and sponsor appropriate projects for funding under a new Clean Cities National Parks Initiative. The initiative is designed to reduce petroleum use and improve air quality, as well as educate the general public about alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles.
This innovative program supports both national parks in their ongoing efforts to create sustainable and fuel efficient operations. It also offers a unique opportunity to educate park visitors about alternative fuels and vehicles and petroleum reduction strategies. The Clean Cities and National Parks program is an ideal partnership as the national parks are a perfect place for these technologies and strategies to gain regional, national and international exposure.
“The Greater Yellowstone Region has been promoting clean fuels and low emission vehicles for the past decade and the YTCEC and DOE have played a pivotal role in the success of these programs. This grant demonstrates the commitment both parks have in advancing sound environmental stewardship practices and reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the ecosystem,” – Jim Evanoff, Yellowstone NP Environmental Protection Specialist (ret’d) and YTCEC Board Member
2014 national parks initiative grant
Amount secured: $248,000
Money used to purchase:
6 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (3 for YNP, 3 for GRTE)
2 Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (1 for each park)
Purchasing and installing these public charging stations will create the foundation for an electric vehicle charging network in the GYE. These 6 charging stations will increase the travel radius for typical EVs by hundreds of miles in each direction, and allow EV drivers to travel through the GYE emissions free.
2012 national parks initiative grant
Amount secured: $547,645
Money used to purchase:
7 Ford Escape Hybrid-Electric Vehicles
1 Low Speed Electric Vehicle
1 Medium Duty Hybrid Electric Transit Bus
7 On-board Idle Reduction units installed
These hybrid vehicles see thousands of hours of operation and in 2012 saved ~3,000 gallons of petroleum, $11,500 in fuel costs and more than 74,000 lbs CO2.
Greater Yellowstone Electric Vehicle Working Group
In 2012, Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities created the Greater Yellowstone Electric Vehicle (GYEV) working group. The purpose of the working group is to create a plan to introduce electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations into our region with cohesion and simplicity. We’re drawing upon the successes other Clean Cities Coalitions have found through this process. By positioning ourselves at the front of the electric vehicle trend, our region will be situated to embrace this new technology and serve the needs of our communities and the millions of visitors we host each year.
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday June 7th, 2016: Working Group Conference Call
Call #: 641-715-3272
Access Code: 881107#
Agenda
1.Welcome
2.Federal and State EV Policy Update
3.Regional EV Policy
4.Clean Cities and EV Education in Wyoming
5.Regional Fleet and Stations Update
6.Discussion of Priorities
7.Schedule next Call (based on discussion)
8.Recap of Issues/Actions
9.Other Updates and Announcements
Past Events:
September 24th, 2013: Working Group Meeting in Jackson, WY
June 4th, 2014: Working Group Meeting in Bozeman, MT
Successes
Wyoming Natural Gas Vehicle & Infrastructure Coalition
Mission
To advance natural gas infrastructure and vehicle growth in Wyoming through planning for best infrastructure placement, connecting stakeholders together to create the infrastructure, and engaging appropriate fleets and vehicles.
Goals
Education and Outreach
Increase vehicle adoption
Increase NGV infrastructure
Influence/support legislation
Increase membership
Natural Gas – Working for Wyoming
Why Wyoming?
3rd top producing natural gas state in the United States
2nd largest proven natural gas reserves in United States (12% of U.S. total)
4th largest natural gas field of proved reserves.
16% expected growth in NGV infrastructure.
Expanding natural gas infrastructure along corridors (I-25, I-80)
Wyoming 2013 NGV Milestones
First CNG station opened in northwest Wyoming: Afton
Current public access CNG stations in Afton, Cheyenne, Evanston, Pinedale, Riverton Rock Springs (2)
Sublette County School District (Pinedale) holds their Grand Opening
Two LNG stations expected to open by year end: Rawlins and Cheyenne
Low interest Wyoming Business Council loans available for NGV infrastructure
Natural-gas powered Caterpillar mine haul trucks operate in Wyoming
Natural Gas Conversions
Two NGV conversion and maintenance shops (Fremont Motors and Black Smoke)
Western Wyoming Community College converts vehicles and implements CNG training program
Alpha Coal West (Gillette) adopts dual fuel LNG mine trucks
Who’s Converting in Wyoming?
State of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
Western and Central Wyoming Community Colleges
Pinedale School District
Alpha Coal West
Fremont County
Help for Health
Natural Gas Producers
Local Distribution Companies/Utilities
Members of the Coalition
Anadarko
Bill Barrett Corporation
BP America
Chesapeake
Devon
EOG Resources
Noble
Shell
Ultra Petroleum
Williams
Questar
QEP Resources
Alternative Vehicle Solutions
Black Hills Corporation
Cathedral
Campbell County Conservation District
Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power
Chrysler
Encana
Fremont County Government
Fremont Motors
Harkins Transportation
Jackson Hole Alltrans
Lower Valley Energy
Murphy-Hoffman Company
Pit Stop Travel Center
Redi Services
SourceGas
Solitude Management, LLC
Shell
State of Wyoming
Sublink Stage
Teton Conservation District
University of Wyoming
Vela Environmental
Ward Alternative Energy
Wamsutter Conoco
Western Energy Alliance
Western Wyoming Community College
Westport LD
Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association
Wyoming Machinery
Yellowstone-Teton Clean Energy Coalition
Idle Free Initiative
We here at YTCC have “No Idling” signs to give away to local businesses to help support idle reduction efforts in the community. A few facts about idling:
- In the United States, idling is estimated to waste 2 billion gallons of fuel annually
- Idling longer than 10 seconds uses more fuel than stopping and starting the engine
- Unnecessary idling (more than one or two minutes) causes more wear and tear on your engine than driving lightly to warm it up
We are happy to support community efforts, like those of Manzana the barn owl here, to clean our air and reduce our environmental footprint. Please contact the coalition if you would like to hang these signs at your business.
