Right now, our country has a dependency problem. We are addicted to foreign oil. It’s impossible for us to quit cold turkey. But with the right approach, we can rehab our communities and end our reliance on our national drug of choice: petroleum.

Ending our addiction to foreign oil will require a host of new technologies and new partnerships to spur new innovations. For more than 15 years, a Department of Energy (DOE) initiative, the Clean Cities Program, has been leveraging public/private partnerships to deploy new clean-energy technologies in the transportation sector, reducing our gas guzzling, improving our air quality and preparing our communities for the future.

New York State is home to six Clean Cities Coalitions, including four upstate, one on Long Island and one in New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. These programs aim to reduce our consumption of petroleum by deploying alternative-energy transportation technologies in our communities. Recently, the Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition received a $14.9 million Recovery Act grant to establish five alternative-fuel stations and upgrade to alternative-fuel vehicles in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. It is estimated that the program will displace 351,000 gallons of petroleum a year.

Two key elements make the Clean Cities Program so successful. First, it leverages federal support to empower local organizations and businesses to make significant impacts in their communities. In 10 years, Clean Cities, using a public/private partnership model, has provided $43 million in competitive grant funds. That funding was leveraged into another $214 million in matching funds. The coalitions have been able to independently stretch their dollars, obtaining $845 million since 1993.

Second, the Clean Cities Program doesn’t single out any one technology. The program allows the local coalitions to examine a community’s needs and deploy technologies to fit the unique circumstance. For example, on Long Island the alternative-fuel stations that are being deployed will use compressed natural gas. Elsewhere, a community might choose to invest in electric technologies or renewable alternative fuels. By allowing the coalitions to choose, investments are being made in several promising new areas and communities are serving as test cases for these developing technologies.

In order to ensure that the Clean Cities Program continues to be based on the principles that have made it successful, Congress needs to pass legislation to formally authorize the program. I’ve introduced H.R. 3488, which would authorize the Clean Cities Program for seven years. As a Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, I also continue to seek federal funding to ensure the continuance of the Clean Cities Program.

In just over 15 years, Clean Cities coalitions have reduced petroleum use by more than 2 billion gallons and placed half a million alternative-fuel vehicles on the road. Coalitions have established alternative-fuel infrastructure in thousands of strategic urban and rural locations and moved alternative-fuel and advanced-technology vehicles onto Main Streets around the country. Clean Cities coalitions are preparing our communities for the future by launching innovations on the local level through these community partnerships.
New York State is fortunate to have six Clean Cities coalitions. However, until market demand alone can support the necessary economies of scale, investments from the federal government, local governments and private entities are needed to ensure the Clean Cities program will remain critical to meeting the objectives of energy security and a cleaner environment.


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Steve Israel, a Democrat representing parts of Nassau County, is a member of the House Energy and Water Development Subcommittee.