The City of Houston has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Energy, demonstrating the Greater Houston Areaźs commitment to being a clean city.

As part of a program to encourage the use of alternative fuels, the U.S. Department of Energy has initiated the Clean Cities Program throughout the country. The federal program was generated at the grassroots level, to enlist local, state, federal, as well as public/private partnerships to enable cities to use alternative fuels.

On Thursday September 4, the Greater Houston Clean Cities Coalition joined Mayor Bob Lanier, the U.S. Department of Energy, and representatives from the private and public sector for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding at the Wortham Theater Center. Those in attendance and who are aiding in the development of the Clean Cities Program included the Galveston Houston Association for Smog Prevention (GHASP), the American Lung Association, and the American Red Cross.

Wade Thompson, Clean Cities Coordinator for the Houston-Galveston Area Council looked at the event as a vital first step toward the use of alternative fuels in the Greater Houston Area.

A coalition of multiple public and private partners submitted a proposal to the Department of Energy outlining a strategic plan to promote the use of alternative fuels in the 8 county area. After reviewing the program, the DoE designated Houston a Clean Cities partner.

The program is multifaceted and to work it involves many public/ private partnerships. One pilot project will be the use of an electric zero emissions bus on the Rice University campus. The federal grant used to fund the Clean Cities and the Rice Project is call the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) fund. The city is the partner on the Rice project because an entity must be public in order to qualify for CMAQ Funds. The Texas Department of Transportation and Harris County will also receive grant money to aid in the purchase of the bus.

The Clean Cities Coalition will host a Clean Fuel Seminar to disseminate information on new alternative fuel technology. Ford Motors, for example, has an entire line of vehicles powered by alternative fuels. These range from the electric Ranger, the Taurus that runs on methanol, and the Crown Victoria that is fueled by compressed natural gas. The Clean Cities Coalition will work to further develop infrastructure for alternative fueling stations. City Metro is also a partner in the project.

The immediate goal of Clean Cities is to create demonstration projects, collect data, and use this information to communicate the efficiency of alternative fuel programs.

Wade Thompson says, "This is only the beginning and the real work lies ahead. We look forward to working to achieve as many alternatively fueled vehicles on the road as we can."