Clean Cities TV Features Kentucky Hybrid Horse Power Program

Check out this special video feature on Kentucky’s hybrid school buses at Clean Cities TV:

View the video on the CleanCities.tv channel

E15 Rolls into Kentucky Next Week with NASCAR

NASCAR fans will get a little more familiar with American-made ethanol fuel blends next week as three series races are being held at the Kentucky Speedway track in Sparta, July 7-9. Late last year, NASCAR announced they would be using E15 (blend of 15% ethanol) in their Sunoco racing gasoline in all cars and all races throughout the 2011 racing season. Through a partnership with Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association, the fuel is being promoted very well by drivers and promotions. The Kentucky Corn Growers Association will be making an appearance at the race track to celebrate the use of the corn-based fuel. A combine (machinery that harvests corn) will be set up in the display area to remind fans of the fuel's connection to rural America.

For more information, visit http://www.kycorn.org/aboutkycga/americanethanol.htm

Think Files for Bankruptcy

The future is unclear for Think North America, which has an electric vehicle production plant in Elkhart, IN, after the company’s headquarters in Norway filed for bankruptcy last week. Despite being a separate entity, Think North America faces an unstable future because it is financially supported by the Norwegian headquarters.
Think has fallen upon hard times in the past, this being the fourth time it has filed for bankruptcy in its twenty years of operation. The future options for Think include a liquidation of its assets or the sale of the company to a new investor. Currently management has been turned over to Oslo-based commercial law firm Thommessen.

Get Your Fleet in the Program

Green Fleets of the Bluegrass is a recognition program hosted by KCFC, to improve the environmental performance of vehicle fleets across Kentucky by reducing petroleum fuel use.

KCFC members that submit baseline data by June 30th, 2011 will receive recommendations for initiatives to potentially improve year-end ratings.

Find out more and register at http://www.kentuckycleanfuels.org/greenfleets.htm

KCFC Welcomes Clean Energy As Newest Member

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. is committed to delivering the benefits of natural gas fuel to fleet operators across America. It is the largest provider of natural gas fuel for transportation in North America and a global leader in the expanding natural gas vehicle market. It has operations in CNG and LNG vehicle fueling, construction and operation of CNG and LNG fueling stations, biomethane production, vehicle conversion and compressor technology.

Clean Energy fuels over 22,700 vehicles at 238 strategic locations across the United States and Canada with a broad customer base in the refuse, transit, trucking, shuttle, taxi, airport and municipal fleet markets. Clean Energy del Peru, a joint venture, fuels vehicles and provides CNG to commercial customers in Peru.

Welcome to the team!

kyGREENtv Kicks Off KCFC's Spotlight Series

The Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition Spotlight series showcases those partners from across the region who are really making a difference. KCFC’s primary focus is to incorporate alternative fuels and advanced technologies into individual industry requirements, while committing to air quality and environmental stewardship. See who stands up above the rest!

Eaton Corporation is the first to be featured in the Spotlight series. Celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year, Eaton Corporation manufacturers the hybrid systems used in Kentucky's new fleet of hybrid electric school buses. The company is a global technology leader in electrical components and systems.

Watch the Video

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Supports Biofuels at Paris Air Show

June 23, 2011 - Becoming the first U.S. Agriculture Secretary to attend a Paris Air Show, Sec. Tom Vilsack voiced his support of biofuels for powering fighter jets, commercial airlines, and trucks. He pointed out that the benefits of adopting biofuels into the the airline industry will be seen sooner rather than later.

The show featured an extensive "Alternative Aviation Fuels Showcase" in a Le Bourget exhibit hall. Vilsack's attendance came two months after President Barrack Obama's order for the U.S. Department of Energy and Agriculture and the U.S. Navy to work closely with the private sector to develop advanced biofuels to power airlines, jets, and trucks.

Sec. Vilsack advocates and promotes the expansion of biofuel usage among U.S. lawmakers, saying that the industry has seen some significant changes in the last 12 months and is on the verge of an even more significant expansion. He told ATW Daily News that if a market develops for biofuel to power aircraft, the infrastructure to produce and distribute it will quickly build up. "I think the infrastructure is going to be there if the market is there," he explained. "I'm sure if you have [airlines] interested, we'll get biofuel to airports."

The expansion of the biofuels market into the airline industry would also help to create jobs in rural areas, fighting unemployment and diversifying farming in the U.S., Vilsack says.