The Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition has been designated as a member of the Clean Cities Program operated by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The designation was bestowed during a Nov. 17 ceremony at the Alabama Renewable Energy Conference held at the Auburn University Hotel and Dixon Conference Center.
The new status means the non-profit Alabama organization will be eligible to receive more grant funds from the DOE.
"We had to submit a 55-page detailed strategic plan as to how we would carry out our objectives in the state of Alabama with very strategic as well as tactical goals," said Mark Bentley, executive director of Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition.
The organization has been responsible for many alternative fuel-related projects that have been created across the state and region during the last several years.
ACFC works with alternative fuels and alternative-fuel vehicles with the goal of reducing dependence on foreign oil, increasing economic development in the state and improving the state's air quality.
One of ACFC's first project was to provide infrastructure monies to use E-85 ethanol in the municipal vehicles in Hoover. Now over 85 percent of municipal vehicles in Hoover use alternative fuels like E-85 ethanol and biodiesel, Bentley said.
The organization was also involved in creating a clean corridor from the Great Lakes area to the Gulf of Mexico. ACFC helped build alternative fuel pumps so drivers could fill up while driving on I-65.
"We have, in the last year, pumped over one million gallons of alternative fuels at those stations in Alabama," Bentley said.
However, ACFC often partners with other groups on these projects.
"They're really a dynamic group, the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, and they have a great leadership," said Kathy Hornsby, program manager with Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. "And we've developed a good rapport over the years and they're a group you can just call up and they're going to find a way to help you."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
