Down the (Alternative-fuels) Path
East Tennessee may soon wear a “Clean Cities” moniker if the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition has its way

By Kris Christen

            The East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition (ETCFC), which was formed in early 2002, is working toward cleaner communities for East Tennessee through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Cities Program.  The program  seeks to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, and enhance local economic activity.

Through Clean Cities, DOE is supporting public-private partnerships that will deploy alternative fuel vehicles and build the infrastructure to sustain their use. Some 80 communities in 41 states now qualify as participants in the program, “but there’s a big hole where the Southeast is concerned,” says   coalition executive director Jonathan Overly, a research associate with the University of Tennessee’s (UT) Energy, Environment and Resources Center.

To obtain designation, the coalition must assess the current state of the local/regional alternative fuels market, identify existing and potential alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) fleets and refueling stations, work to ensure a strong market foundation by building stakeholder commitments, and create an overall plan that details how the region will expand its alternative fuel market.

So far, Overly has pulled together about 150 participants from over 60 area organizations, including the Tennessee Valley Authority; Knoxville Utilities Board; Knoxville Area Transit; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; UT; Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation; the cities of Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville; two propane distributors; several private fleets; five environmental organizations; and several AFV dealerships.

Current alternative fuels include biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane. Two of these are renewable fuels—namely ethanol, which is produced primarily from corn (but can also be made from potatoes, scrap wood, and other biomass materials), and biodiesel, which is typically produced from soybeans or waste cooking oils. The other alternative fuel options, although primarily fossil-based, burn much cleaner than regular gasoline.

“Alternative fuel vehicles are much cleaner than [those that use] traditional petroleum-based fuels, especially diesel,” says David Dunagan, program manager for DOE’s Southeast regional office in Atlanta. “So anytime you can replace gasoline or diesel with compressed natural gas, propane, or other alternative fuels, you get public health benefits, image benefits, and financial benefits.” Yet, alternative fuel vehicles must typically overcome such barriers as limited refueling infrastructure, increased cost, and limited range.

Overly says he hopes that once the coalition becomes designated, East Tennessee will not only see some much-needed improvements in air quality, but also will be in line to secure federal grant money for transportation-related projects.

For more information, contact Jonathan Overly, EERC, The University of Tennessee, 311 Conference Center Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-4134, call 865-974-3625, or e-mail jgoverly@utk.edu. Visit ETCFC’s Web site at www.etcfc.org.

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