The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) seeks state and local officials to nominate dedicated highway routes where drivers can access alternative fuels. These “zero-emission” and “alternative fuel” corridors fulfill a directive in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. The U.S. Transportation Secretary will then designate national plug-in electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen, propane and natural gas fueling corridors along major highways. Nominations for corridor designations are due to the FHWA by August 22, 2016. This announcement comes on the heels of the recent EV Roadmap 9 event that was hosted in Portland in July. Oregon is a national leader in the development of EV corridors along I-5 and U.S. Route 101. Review a map of the existing corridors and see a list of the Oregon Electric Byways.

The Travel Oregon Forever Charter is Coming Soon

Travel Oregon is in the process of rebranding the Oregon Sustainable Business Challenge as the Travel Oregon Forever Charter. This work is being supported by Oregon’s Sustainable Tourism Advisory Committee. The Travel Oregon Forever Charter defines what it means to be a sustainable tourism business in Oregon. This includes a commitment to the environment, a strong focus on local communities, and a dedication to running a responsible business. Charter participants will learn about recommended actions or local programs they can participate in to improve their sustainability performance. In addition, Travel Oregon will provide micro-grants to participants who apply for funding to support their participation in recommended programs. The Charter will be launched in the Fall of 2016. Please contact Andrew Grossmann at Andrew@TravelOregon.com with questions.