Alternative Fuel Industries Join Forces to Bring About Clean Vehicle Workshops

WASHINGTON (September 9, 2010) — The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and the other members of the Alternative Fuel Trade Alliance continue their nationwide training program on alternative fuel at a workshop for fleet managers today in Denver.

This free workshop is the sixth in a series of 14 training seminars across the country made possible by a $1.6 million grant from the Energy Department. The workshops cover alternative fuel quality, infrastructure, available vehicles, safety, latest technologies, and environmental impact of propane, ethanol, biodiesel, and compressed natural gas.

“Customers are demanding green fleets, and these workshops provide fleet managers an opportunity to better understand the choices and options available for fleet vehicles,” said Brian Feehan, vice president of PERC. “By encouraging wider use of propane and other alternative-fueled vehicles, we increase our environmental and national energy security goals.”

The Alternative Fuel Trade Alliance consists of PERC, the Renewable Fuels Association, the National Biodiesel Board, and the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation.

Each of the full-day collaborative workshops scheduled over the next two years will involve a site in the Energy Department’s Clean Cities program, which uses local coalitions to promote the use of alternative fuels such as propane. This workshop is hosted by the Denver Metro Coalition. Previous workshops have been held in Chantilly, Va., Hoover, Ala., and Casa Grande, Ariz. Future dates and locations will be be announced soon.

Vehicles fueled by propane, the most widely used alternative fuel, include trucks, vans, school buses, shuttles, forklifts, and commercial mowers. Up to 56,000 miles of pipeline, more than 6,000 retail dealer locations, and thousands of propane fueling stations across the United States make propane readily available.

To register for a workshop or view a free online webcast from a previous workshop, visit www.altfuelsalliance.org. For more information on PERC and its programs, visit www.autogasusa.org.