Granite State Clean Cities Coalition Marks 20 Years

Concord, NH – Since its founding in 1993, the federal Clean Cities Coalition Network has succeeded in building local partnerships to advance affordable, domestic alternative transportation fuels and technologies to help ensure our nation’s energy and economic security. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office facilitates national coordination of the coalitions through its Technology Integration Program. This year the Granite State Clean Cities Coalition (GSCCC), a program founded in 2002 and hosted by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), marks its 20th anniversary contributing to that mission through the implementation of projects and programs by its 150 stakeholders and partners.

Through a combination of projects focused on increasing vehicle efficiency, shifting to domestic alternative fuel sources, and offering consumers additional transportation choices, GSCCC stakeholders saved over 1.6 million gasoline gallon equivalents in 2021 alone. Nationally, Clean Cities coalitions have achieved a cumulative reduction in energy use equal to nearly 10 billion gasoline gallon equivalents and avoided more than 52 million tons of emissions.

GSCCC provides connections, tools and resources for vehicle fleet managers, businesses, towns and cities who are looking to save money by implementing fuel efficient strategies and adopting affordable, domestic clean transportation fuels and technologies. Examples of successful stakeholder projects include Nashua Transit System’s hybrid-electric transit buses, Eversource Energy’s biodiesel bucket trucks with battery powered aerials, and Manchester Transit Authority’s propane powered school buses.

“Initially, I was skeptical that we would be able to achieve much. I absolutely believe in the mission of GSCCC but was concerned that as a public bus fleet, the budget factors would prove prohibitive,” said Mike Whitten, Executive Director of Manchester Transit Authority. “I’m so glad that I agreed to participate though, and through our partnership with GSCCC, we implemented our first hybrid-electric buses and converted the entire diesel fleet to biodiesel. We are now in the process of transitioning our school bus fleet to run on propane. These changes provide not only benefits to our environment, they’ve provided economic savings that we are able to move forward with into the next project in hopes of achieving ever growing benefits for our community.”

With a focus on education and outreach, GSCCC is engaged in webinars, events, workshops, and conferences to support projects in communities around the state. This is made possible through collaborative partnerships with neighboring Clean Cities Coalitions, local working groups like Drive Electric NH, and the efforts of local energy commissions and sustainability committees, to name a few.

“Clean Cities is an instrumental partner in the development of alternative fuel projects throughout our area, including a range of fuels like Compressed Natural Gas, Renewable Natural Gas, Propane, Electric, Hydrogen, and Biodiesel. The ability to leverage the knowledge base of Clean Cities coalitions nationwide has been critical to getting projects pointed in the right direction, with support at all levels,” said Scott Zepp, a founding GSCCC Advisory Board Member, and Director of Business Development for Consolidated Utilities Corporation, a company specializing in the maintenance of compressed natural gas fueling stations. “Having access to the Clean Cities network has been a key contributor to the success of a number of GSCCC projects, as we’ve been able to share ideas and learn from each other.”

This year, GSCCC will be promoting municipal and commercial electric vehicle and equipment opportunities through a webinar series and demonstrations, supporting funding opportunities, like the NH Clean Diesel Grant and National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Programs, and supporting events like AltWheels Fleet Day. If you are interested in getting connected to these resources and opportunities, visit our website, and sign up for our mailing list. Join us as we kick off another 20 years celebrating our coalition, partners, and stakeholder achievements!    

Learn more about the national Clean Cities program at cleancities.energy.gov.

Learn how to get involved with the Granite State Clean Cities Coalition.