Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition

Alternative Fuel and Vehicle Usage and Infrastructure ProjectsThe organization continued its participation in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Clean Cities Program as a designated Clean Cities Coalition. The program promotes the use of alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles (AFV) to expand the market for alternative fuels, create job opportunities, improve air quality, and to reduce dependence on foreign sources of energy. During 2023, ACFC and its members and stakeholders worked to provide public and private individuals and entities with information on the benefits of AFVs and to identify and implement AFV uses and alternative fuel infrastructure projects. The use of alternative fuels was significant in Alabama in 2023 and provided a reduction in the use of petroleum of more than 18.4 million gallons of gasoline-gallon equivalent (GGE) and 158,800 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, representing a 6.93% and 23.72% increase from the previous year, respectively. During 2023, alternative fuels (E85 Ethanol, B20 Biodiesel, and Propane) continued to be included on the state fuel contract. In addition to being available to state agencies, these alternative fuels can be purchased by local governments from approved vendors in all 67 counties in Alabama. ACFC also serves as the EV consultant for the State of Alabama. Through these efforts, ACFC assists the State of Alabama in developing a statewide Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Plan, which included their plans for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program. This plan was used by the state to determine priorities and criteria needed to develop a statewide grant program to install EV chargers around the state. Additionally, ACFC assisted with the development of the state's EV infrastructure grant application used by the state to select locations for the newly funded EV charging stations. ACFC programs and activities laid the foundation for additional alternative fuel infrastructure projects and increased the availability of cleaner-burning fuels to the public in Alabama during calendar year 2023 and beyond. Increasing availability of these fuels will improve air quality. In addition, other potential projects were identified for future funding and/or technical assistance.

Education: Dissemination of Information During 2023, ACFC continued a three-state Public Education Partnership (PEP) campaign in partnership with the Alabama Broadcasters Association to educate the citizens on the benefits of Electric Vehicles in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee until the end of January 2023.ACFC supported Drive Electric Alabama EV owner chapters in holding numerous EV showcases across the state in 2023, including those scheduled around Earth Day and National Drive Electric Week. Other outreach and educational efforts by ACFC during 2023 included numerous stakeholder meetings, presentations to community organizations, and responding to numerous media and consumer inquiries on alternative fuels. Many of these meetings and events generated media coverage which enabled the messaging reach to be expanded significantly. Through all of the people in attendance as well as the media and social media generated, these outreach and educational activities reached more than 26,596 people through personal contact plus millions of social media impressions. ACFC's website provides information on the benefits of AFV's and alternative fuels. During 2023, ACFC responded to numerous requests for information. Examples of typical requests are from individuals interested in clean fuel/AFV information and clean fuel station locations and requests from teachers for curriculum related information on AFV's and air quality. ACFC also helped to generate print and online newspaper articles across the state on various alternative fuel projects and activities. These ACFC activities further an educational purpose by disseminating information regarding potential financial costs, savings, and benefits associated with implementation of AFV projects and the associated benefits which include cleaner air.