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By Kevin Soubly | MiEnergy
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WEST MICHIGAN — Michigan’s Clean Energy Coalition (CEC) is expanding into West Michigan and bringing its Green Fleets program with it, a four-year $40 million program placing 500 non-gasoline powered vehicles on the road and building 50 supporting fueling and recharging stations.

The program receives national direction by the U.S. Department of Energy and is funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

The federal program is designed to “advance the nation’s economic, environmental and energy security by supporting local actions to reduce petroleum consumption in transportation,” according to the Department of Energy’s website. Currently there are almost 100 such program areas around the country.

Michigan’s Clean Energy Coalition was founded as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2005 and already manages a portfolio of $55 million in federal and state grant funds to further their mission of “promoting clean energy technologies as a way to create healthier more energy independent communities throughout the state of Michigan,” said Lisa Warshaw, Mobility Project Manager for Michigan’s Clean Energy Coalition headquartered in Ann Arbor.

“You see a lot of leadership in green business and buildings on the west side of the state and we are trying to take that and expand on it in the transportation sector,” said Warshaw. The focus is to build on existing sustainability efforts in the region by bringing together stakeholders to implement clean transportation projects in Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Ottawa and Van Buren counties, she said.

The CEC’s Green Fleets program works with propane, compressed natural gas, hydraulic hybrids, regular hybrids and electric vehicles. Green Fleets is the largest project in CEC’s Mobility division and is expected to displace the use of 1.5 million gallons of petroleum per year and to reduce the output of greenhouse gasses, particulate matter and other toxic substances into Michigan’s environment.

The program is also designed to stimulate Michigan’s economy through partnerships with in-state companies and the creation of permanent jobs. “It’s a convergence of Michigan-based nonprofits and companies to create local jobs and demonstrate the real spirit of the recovery act,” said Warshaw.

“The idea is to drive energy efficiency and drive the conversion of vehicle fleets to alternative fuels and electric vehicles. And there’s a variety of different programs taking place to achieve that,” Dr. Harold Glasser, executive director for campus sustainability and professor of environmental studies at Western Michigan University, one of the organizations benefitting from CEC’s Green Fleets program, told MiEnergy.

Western is installing solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations and converting portions of their campus transportation and utility fleets to Ford hybrid vehicles.

UBCR, a Michigan-based recycling company, is purchasing numerous semi-trucks fueled with compressed natural gas for hauling recyclable material as another example of a successful partnership with CEC.

“The Green Fleets project is very exciting and interesting because it represents a really broad spectrum of partners. We’ve partnered with universities, municipalities, small family-owned Michigan-based businesses and Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies. (The organization’s) wheels are moving and they’re moving quickly,” said Warshaw.

“This kind of collaboration is critically important,” Glasser said. “The CEC has done a fabulous job leveraging resources that are being made available in Washington, D.C. to help out with local economic development and sustainability in our region. And when you do the right thing, you get a cascade of benefits, both economically and environmentally.”

Michigan’s statewide policy coordination promoting alternative fuel technologies has established it as a regional leader in innovative policy, said Dr. Kristen Zimmerman, manager of advanced technology infrastructure at General Motors’ Research and Development Center. Zimmerman works with Clean Energy Coalitions throughout the Midwest and eastern United States.

“The work initiated in February 2010 by the Michigan Public Service Commission was a catalyst that placed Michigan way ahead of the pack — way ahead of California even. We have a lead and our model has now been emulated in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland and Virginia. It’s recognized by other Clean Cities organizations as a good set of lessons learned,” she said.

Despite the successes, there are challenges to larger-scale implementation of CEC activities on the west side of the state, however.

Currently, the Detroit, Ann Arbor and Lansing areas are the only Clean Cities service areas in Michigan that receive official federal designation and funding. But the CEC is looking to change that and is seeking certification from the U.S. Department of Energy for the West Michigan region. The CEC operates Clean Cities programs in Detroit and Ann Arbor. Kuntzsch Business Services of Grand Ledge manages the Greater Lansing Clean Cities Coalition.

“The west side of the state is not a federally designated coalition and does not get federal funding. But our Clean Energy Coalition has secured grant funding from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, Bureau of Energy Systems, and with them we are looking to expand,” said Warshaw.

Should West Michigan be added to the three other programs in Michigan, it will be able to tap into the information and incentives provided to these programs from the Department of Energy, other federal agencies, and industry partners to find assistance in funding large-scale projects.

But some feel that designation is unlikely to come, said Dan Doehrman, executive director of Green Earth Michigan, a nonprofit organization promoting electric vehicle use throughout the state. He also serves on the Michigan Public Service Commission’s Plug-in Electric Vehicle Preparedness Task Force.

The Clean Energy Coalition is hoping to expand its Green Fleets program to West Michigan, allowing the region to displace some of its traditional gas and diesel vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles. COURTESY PHOTO

Doehrman cited privileged knowledge of the situation. “The U.S. Department of Energy will not approve the West Michigan designation. There are simply too many Clean City designations in Michigan already,” Doehrman said.

There are other options for the CEC if the West Michigan designation is rejected however, including redistricting Michigan’s three current Clean Cities programs to incorporate the broader geographical range. The CEC may also continue to receive funding from the State of Michigan.

No one from the U.S. Department of Energy was willing to speak publically on the matter as the approval process is still ongoing.

Whatever the method, CEC seems dedicated to the cause.

“We want to engage people in the transportation sector on the west side of the state so that no matter where you are in Michigan, you are a part of the conversation on how as a state we can reduce our dependency on petroleum,” Warshaw said. “We’re working with a holistic ground-up view.”

To any individuals wishing to become involved in the process, Warshaw has a simple message: “Give us a call. We’re your coalition. We’re simply your representatives. On a weekly basis we sit down with fleet managers, OEMs, fuel providers, nonprofits, you name it. We work to bridge the needs of the people we‘re working with.”

This story has been changed from its original form to correct an error.

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TAGS:

• dan doehrman
• dr. harold glasser
• kristen zimmerman
• michigan’s clean energy coalition
• the green fleets
• u.s. department of energy
• west michigan