WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy John Mizroch, along with the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium and local Clean Cities partners from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C., today launched the 2008 kick-off of the Clean Cities National Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Day Odyssey (Odyssey Day), dedicated to promoting petroleum-free choices in transportation. This event is the first of more than 80 AFV events nationwide that will occur in the coming months.

“DOE’s Clean Cities program continues to provide communities with the vital tools necessary to decrease petroleum use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promoting cleaner and healthier communities across the nation,” Acting Assistant Secretary Mizroch said. “Our nation’s capital is the ideal place to launch Odyssey Day in the Clean City communities, celebrating the success of the increased use of alternative fuels in neighborhoods across the country.”

DOE’s Clean Cities program supports President Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative to reduce our Nation’s dependence on foreign energy sources by changing the way we power our cars, homes, and businesses. Since its creation, DOE’s Clean Cities partnership has grown to 86 coalitions that work with 5,700 local stakeholder programs that have helped reduce over two billion gallons of petroleum, put more than half a million alternative fuel vehicles on the road and played a role in the construction of over 3,000 alternative refueling stations. From 2004 to 2007 alone, Clean Cities coalitions contributed to the use of over 900 million gallons of alternative fuel.

By 2007, the partnership had contributed to the consumption of over one-quarter of a billion gallons of alternative fuel. DOE’s Clean Cities program is a government-industry partnership to promote the growth of alternative fuels to showcase the potential of advanced fuels and vehicles.

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Jennifer Scoggins, (202) 586-4940