The Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition (GWRCCC), a public-private partnership of Washington, D.C. region is working in concert with Transportation Energy Partners, and other clean city organizations nationally to host virtual meetings with members of the U.S. Congress and their staffers starting Monday and ending on Friday.
The GWRCCC is requesting Congress to continue investing in clean transportation fuels and vehicles by acting immediately on the following policy matters:
*Increase federal funding in the fiscal year 2023 budget for the Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Cities alternative fuel deployment program and the U.S. EPA Diesel Emission Grants
*Authorize the DOE Clean Cities Program
*Provide long-term extensions and improvements in the federal tax incentives for alternate fuels, vehicles and infrastructure and
*Preserve the Renewable Fuel Standard.
The GWRCCC and its partners want Congress to move on these priorities as three-quarters of the 20 million barrels of petroleum consumed by Americans each day are used for transportation. Transportation is the nation’s largest energy expense in a lot of communities. While the U.S. presently is the world’s largest energy producer, the country is vulnerable to the actions of foreign governments that do not share its interests.
“The U.S. must dramatically increase federal investments in alternative fuels and renewable energy programs and initiatives,” said Antoine M. Thompson, GWRCCC executive director. “The dependence on foreign petroleum leaves the country economically vulnerable, contributes to climate change, and negatively impacts health outcomes for all Americans.”