I came across this article the other day. Piedmont Natural Gas was awarded the 2008 Clean Cities Award, given annually by the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition (CCFC) to the business or organization that “best demonstrates excellence in clean transportation and fuel activities.” The Coalition is a local effort of the Centralina Council of Governments, a state designated regional planning agency in North Carolina comprising Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly, and Union counties.
The CCFC is one of nearly 90 Clean City Coalitions participating in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Clean Cities Program. The mission of the National Clean Cities Program is to reduce petroleum dependence, improve air quality, and expand alternative fuel use and technology. The program promotes, accelerates, and expands the use of alternative fuels in the transportation sector. Working through locally-based government- industry partnerships, the Clean Cities Program seeks to expand the use of alternatives to traditional gasoline and diesel fuel. The DOE classifies the following fuels as “alternative fuels”: biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, methanol, natural gas, propane, and solar energy.
Some of the initiatives that Piedmont was recognized for include:
- Piedmont’s “no idle” policy for its entire fleet of utility service and distribution vehicles as well as various employee programs around carpooling to work
- Walking to lunch instead of driving during the ozone season
- Refueling vehicles after 6:00 p.m. to reduce VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions
- Acquiring two natural gas forklifts for use in its Distribution Center replacing units that used propane or gasoline
- Maintaining several vehicles in its service and distribution fleet that run on natural gas.
Congratulations again to Piedmont for some well-deserved recognition.
