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| News and Events: Technical Assistance, Incentives, and Funding Opportunities:
Upcoming Events and Activities: Resources and Guides:
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| Alternative Fuel School Bus Workshop A growing number of school districts across the U.S. are shifting their fleets to run on alternative fuels to save money on fuel and maintenance and to promote cleaner air. Tennessee Clean Fuels (TCF), in partnership with Central States Bus Sales, will host an alternative fuel school bus workshop on July 25, 2018 at the James E. Ward Agriculture Center in Lebanon. This workshop will equip Tennessee school bus fleets with the knowledge they need to evaluate natural gas, propane, and electric school bus alternatives. Fleet managers, superintendents, and other school bus fleet decision-makers are encouraged to attend. Presenters from ROUSH CleanTech and Adomani Electric will talk about alternative fuel school buses and equipment currently on the market and will be on hand to answer any specific fuel or technology-related questions that school districts may have. Attendees will also be able to see alternative fueled buses in person during guided vehicle walk-arounds. Fleet administrators from the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) will also be present at the workshop to highlight their experiences with alternative fuel adoption. CMCSS is Tennessee’s largest alternative fuel school bus fleet. By July 2018, CMCSS is expected to have a total of 23 propane-school buses in operation. Additional speakers from TCF and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Office of Energy Programs will address upcoming funding opportunities to assist with the purchase of alternative fuel school buses. Visit U.S. DOE's Alternative Fuel Data Center to learn more about the alt fuels available to local school districts. To RSVP for this workshop, please click here. The workshop will be free for all attendees. Lunch will be provided. For questions about the workshop, please contact Alexa Voytek at alexa.voytek@tn.gov or 615-532-0238.
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| 2018 Tennessee Sustainable Transportation Forum Announced
TDEC, in partnership with TDOT and TNCleanFuels, will hold the fourth annual Tennessee Sustainable Transportation Forum from September 17-18, 2018 at the UT Conference Center in Knoxville. The forum will highlight new research and technologies that improve transportation efficiency, reduce vehicle emissions, and address the mobility needs of all Tennesseans. Guest panelists and speakers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Clean Energy Fuels, the City of Knoxville, Bcycle, and more will highlight innovative solutions and implementation best practices for a more sustainable transportation future. The forum will include an alternative fuel vehicle showcase and a luncheon to honor winners of the 2018 Tennessee Sustainable Transportation Awards. Register for the forum at tsta.eventbrite.com. Registration includes access to all forum sessions and lunches, an alternative fuel vehicle showcase, and an offsite networking reception at the Sunsphere. If you have questions about the forum or awards nomination process, contact Alexa Voytek at Alexa.Voytek@tn.gov or 615-532-0238. If you would like to become a sponsor or display a vehicle at the alternative fuel vehicle showcase, contact Jonathan Overly at jonathan@etcleanfuels.org or 865-974-3625.
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| Recording Now Available! TDEC, TVA, and UT Public Forum on Electric Mass Transit as an Option for Urban Mobility
TDEC, TVA, and the UT Baker Center hosted a public forum on Electric Mass Transit as an Option for Urban Mobility on June 20-21, 2018 at the UT Baker Center in Knoxville. Panelists presented on a variety of topics, including: - Technology and Connectivity
- Smart Mobility Case Studies
- Visions and Groundtruthing
Additionally, a keynote address covering electric mass transit policy options and issues was given by Caroline Choi, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Southern California Edison (SCE).
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| Five TN Fleets Receive Funding to Implement Alternative Fuel Projects
Over the past two years, East Tennessee Clean Fuels, in partnership with TDEC, has awarded over $365,745 in funding to five selected recipients of the Reducing Diesel Emissions for a Healthier Tennessee” Rebate program, which is funded through the U.S. EPA Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program. These five recipients, which include Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS), Rye Engineering, Clean Sweep, FedEx Express, and Waste Management, all received funding to help offset the cost of acquiring alternative fuel vehicles, including vehicles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), propane, and hybrid technology. Click here to read the full press release. To learn more about the “Reducing Diesel Emissions for a Healthier Tennessee” Rebate program, click here. TDEC and ETCleanFuels expect to release the next round of funding under this program in late 2018.
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| TDH Announces Winners of 2018 Access to Health through Healthy Active Built Environment Grants
The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) recently announced recipients of the 2018 Access to Health through Healthy Active Built Environment grants. A total of $1.8 million in grant funding will be disbursed to 35 grantees representing every region in Tennessee; 66% of the grantees represent economically distressed or at-risk counties as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). These funds will support the planning, development, and implementation of sustainable projects and programs designed to increase access to safe and publicly-accessible opportunities for physical activity. Grantees will embark on a diverse range of projects related to the convening, programming, planning, and construction of projects which promote physical activity, including outdoor fitness equipment, greenway construction and signage, and creation of park and/or recreation spaces, such as playgrounds and walking tracks. Click here to learn more about the grant recipients. Learn more about TDH’s work to support healthy built environments at www.tn.gov/health/cedep/environmental/healthy-places.html.
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| Tennessee - A Case Study in Creating a Resilient State
In February 2018, Stantec hosted a Design Spark workshop in Nashville titled, “What does emerging technology in transportation mean for resilience?” The half-day event included representatives from across the state, including the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Economic and Community Development, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the City of Nashville. During the session, the participating cities of Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Cookeville discussed emerging transportation technologies and the social, economic, and physical impacts these technologies may bring. At a May meeting of the TennSMART Consortium, participants from the Design Spark workshop presented on their efforts and highlighted their work in mobility and transit issues. For more information, click here.
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| TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, INCENTIVES, AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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| 100 Best Fleets Accepting Applications for the 2018 Green Fleets Awards
100 Best Fleets is a national fleet management recognition program designed to identify and reward peak performing fleet operations. Recently, 100 Best Fleets organizers have opened applications for the 2018 Green Fleet Awards, which recognize both government and commercial entities. The awards take into account fleet composition and diversity of fuels, fuel use and associated emissions, policy and planning in fleet management, fleet utilization, green fleet education, executive and employee involvement, and alternative fuel/fuel efficiency supportive programs. Applications are due July 20, 2018. Click here to read more about the awards.
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| FTA Announces Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program
Up to 85% of the net project cost of acquiring transit vehicles (including alternative fueled vehicles) may be covered by the award. Additionally, up to 90% of the net project cost of acquiring, installing, or constructing transit vehicle-related equipment or facilities (including alternative fuel vehicle-related equipment or facilities) may be covered by the award. There is no minimum or maximum grant award amount. Applications under this program are due to FTA by August 6, 2018, at 11:59 PM EST. Click here to view the full notice of funding.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
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| Webinar: Integrating Medium and Heavy Duty Natural Gas Vehicles into Your Fleet
U.S. Clean Cities will host a webinar on July 24 at 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST to discuss medium and heavy-duty vehicles that operate on conventional or renewable natural gas. The webinar will cover available refueling options for such vehicles as well as maintenance facility modifications needed to ensure the safe operation of gaseous-fuel vehicles. The webinar features speakers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the City of Fort Collins, who will share their experiences in planning for compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle adoption. To attend, register on GoToWebinar. For more information, contact Sandra Loi.
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| Webinar: Georgetown Climate Center's Regional Electric Vehicle Corridor Analysis
The first in a new webinar series, “The Southern Road to EVs” will take place on Tuesday, July 31 at 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST. The webinar will highlight the Georgetown Climate Center's Regional Electric Vehicle Corridor Analysis, a tool developed to support regional corridor planning by the northeast and mid-Atlantic states participating in the Transportation and Climate Initiative. The analysis, which includes a GIS visualization map and an excel-based analysis tool, shows the location of all publicly available fast charging infrastructure along corridors in the region and allows users to assess each highway exit to determine the highest priority locations for additional DC fast charger investment. The webinar will feature presenters Matthew Goetz, Electric Vehicle Program Manager for the Georgetown Climate Center and Grace Van Horn, Policy Analyst for M.J. Bradley and Associates. Following their presentation, there will be an opportunity for questions. The webinar will close with a roundtable discussion among webinar participants, led by the Nicholas Institute, on the potential value of expanding the use of the tool to include southeastern transportation corridors. Register for the webinar to attend.
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| 2019 TRB Annual Meeting: Call for Papers Now Open
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting will take place in Washington, D.C. from January 13-17. The meeting covers transportation issues in all fields and will feature 5,000 presentations across more than 800 panel sessions. More than 13,000 transportation professionals from around the world are expected to attend.
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| Tennessee Clean Fuels to Host Statewide First Responder Training Sessions for AFV Safety
Tennessee Clean Fuels recently announced a series of instructor-led classroom trainings provided by the National Fire Protection Association for first responders on alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) across the state, including lessons on how to respond to electric, natural gas, and propane vehicle incidents. Four trainings are scheduled to occur in October 2018 in Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. These trainings are designed to equip local trainers with the knowledge and materials to teach their own staff members about the alternative fuel subject matter. Each session will also feature a live demonstration of onsite AFVs. These AFVs will be vehicles that operate in and around the city in which each event is held. Click here to learn more and to register for the trainings. Registration will cost $40 per person. If your department or squad will have difficulty covering the cost to attend, please call Daniel Siksay, Project Manager at ETCleanFuels, at 865-974-9665 to discuss available discount options.
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| GRIDSMART Technology's INTERSECT18
INERSECT18, an annual conference hosted by GRIDSMART Technologies, Inc., will be held on October 16-18, 2018 in Knoxville. The conference will cover major issues facing the transportation sector and how each of these issues can be impacted, and ultimately mitigated, by the ITS and technology industries. Some of these issues include cybersecurity, connected and autonomous vehicles, road safety, and more. Click here to learn more and register for the conference.
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| 2018 National Convening on Utilities and Electric Vehicles
The American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy (ACEEE) will host a one-day conference focused on helping utilities develop electric vehicle (EV) policies and practices on November 14, 2018 at the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center in Atlanta. Utilities will learn how to broaden support for EVs from a full range of stakeholders by maximizing the economic, environmental, consumer, and other societal benefits of EVs. Participants will create connections across disciplines and will learn about new tools to enact promising EV-grid integration practices that address key challenges. National in scope, this conference is located in Atlanta to help highlight current developments in the southeast. Registration for this event will open later this summer. Visit the conference website for more information.
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| Tools for a Sustainable Transit Agency
TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) recently released a report on the development of practical tools for improving sustainability at transit agencies, including the following: - The Sustainability Routemap: An interactive PDF, similar to a website, that guides the user to improve a transit agency’s sustainability program through application of change management principles, best practice examples, and references to online tools.
- The Sustainability Checklist: An interactive PDF that allows a user to track progress of sustainability initiatives.
- The Sustainable Return on Investment (S+ROI) Calculator: An Excel workbook that quantitatively evaluates potential sustainability projects, including solar adoption or bus rapid transit (BRT), in terms of financial, social, and environmental returns.
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| Two Transportation Electrification Resources
1) Transportation Electrification Accord A first-of-its-kind in the U.S., the Transportation Electrification Accord outlines how to advance transportation electrification to benefit all stakeholders and the ways in which transportation electrification can be achieved by public utilities, policymakers, and government agencies. The Accord has been signed by automakers, fortune 500 companies, utilities, consumer advocates and environmental organizations. 2) Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Policy Scorecard The Electrification Coalition has launched the first ever zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) policy scorecard. The ZEV Scorecard assesses the impacts of state-level tactics to promote and accelerate EV adoption in the 10 participating ZEV states, highlighting the need and providing an example for states and regulators to continue to create policies that support EV adoption. Learn more at www.zevscorecard.com.
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