Grant to Advance Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Technologies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Contact: Anna Rosenbaum 202.618.6363 / anna@narc.org National Association of Regional Councils Receives Grant to Advance Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Technologies WASHINGTON (March 22, 2016) - The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) is launching the Aggregated Alternative Technology Alliance (AATA) initiative as part of the national effort to reduce petroleum consumption by 2.5 billion gallons per year by 2020 through the acquisition of alternative fuel and/or advanced technology vehicles and related technology (AFATVs). This initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clean Cities Program under the Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicle Procurement Aggregating Initiative. Led by NARC, AATA is a partnership between five regional councils, nine Clean Cities coalitions, and five technical partners that is dedicated to advancing fuel-efficient vehicle technologies through targeted outreach and education and the coordination of five large regional procurement initiatives and one national scale initiative. AATA is designed as a sustainable and replicable approach towards collaborative procurement for AFATV that encourages peer exchange of best practices and provides access to experts in AFATV fields nationwide. The AATA team represents over 63 million Americans across the country and will directly engage at least 40,000 key AFATV stakeholders through procurement initiatives. AATA technical partners, Meister Consultants Group, Inc., Electrification Coalition, Yborra & Associates, ICM, and the Propane Education & Research Council, will work with five regional councils and Clean Cities coalitions to create and leverage AFATV best practices and procurement templates that can be modified to meet the needs and legal requirements of jurisdictions. In addition, AATA will explore options to combine or bundle AFATV with the re-fueling and charging station infrastructure, creating additional cost reduction opportunities to help reduce large-scale adoption barriers. The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, North Central Texas Council of Governments, and Pima Association of Governments, with support from their Clean Cities coalitions, will each deploy a regional procurement process using tailored best practices and templates to combine their member governments’ purchasing power for AFATV. The national procurement initiative will be spearheaded by MARC with support from NARC and several Clean Cities from around the country, including the Clean Communities of Central New York, Metropolitan Energy Center /Kansas City Regional Clean Cities, Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition, Utah Clean Cities, Western Washington Clean Cities, and Clean Fuels Ohio. “NARC is excited to be leading this highly qualified Alliance as it makes alternative fuel and other advanced vehicles more accessible to communities, “ said NARC Executive Director Leslie Wollack. “By coming together regionally to reduce costs and streamline the procurement process, we’ll be able to make big strides in the [AFATV] market thereby reducing petroleum dependence at the national level.” In all, AATA strives to positively impact the AFATV market in a 24-month period through the deployment of replicable fuel-neutral best practices and cooperative procurement templates that will enable competitive pricing and lower the up-front cost up to 15% for AFATV acquisition in local, regional, and state jurisdictions, as well as for private fleets through five large regional procurement initiatives and one national scale initiative.   ### About the National Association of Regional Councils The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) serves as the national voice for regionalism by advocating for regional cooperation as the most effective way to address a variety of community planning and development opportunities and issues. NARC’s member organizations are composed of multiple local governments that work together to serve American communities – large and small, urban and rural. Visit www.NARC.org for more information.  The Clean Cities Program Since 1993, the Energy Department’s Clean Cities program has supported community-led efforts to help fleets and consumers find the alternative fuel or fuel-efficient solutions that meet their needs. Clean Cities’ nearly 100 local coalitions across the country work to reduce petroleum consumption, limit pollution, and save money.