CLINTON ADMINISTRATION, MAYOR DALEY
AGREE TO CONVERT 33 PERCENT OF VEHICLES
TO ALTERNATIVE FUELS

Propane Pilot Program Scheduled For Chicago

Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary signed an agreement with Mayor Richard Daley and other local luminaries committing Chicago and the six county Northeastern Illinois region to run thousands of their fleet vehicles on alternative fuels, such as propane gas, by 1998.

Chief executives of 30 regional corporations, including Dan Myers, executive vice president and general manager of the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), will sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Energy. The MOU designates the overall mission of the Chicago Area Clean Cities Program. The signing took place on May 13 at 11 a.m. in the council chambers of Chicago's City Hall.

This agreement with the Clinton Administration will "help accelerate the introduction of clean fuel vehicles and infrastructure into the Chicago regional market," said Mayor Daley. "We can open new, environmentally sound market opportunities while enhancing Chicago's quality of life."

More than 100 fuel suppliers, vehicle manufacturers, industry associations, academic institutions, fleet operators, utility companies, environmental groups, and government agencies from the six county region will partake in the Clean Cities project, the mayor's office said.

The program may be a prelude to a planned pilot project in Chicago, which will rely on the alternative fuel propane. The program, in the early planning stages now, may be part of a United Nation's program called Green Fleets.

According to data from the NPGA, propane gas is the world's most widely-used alternative fuel. More than 350,000 vehicles are powered by propane in the U.S., while the total is 3.5 million worldwide. Propane is an integral part of the federal Energy Policy Act, and was included in the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990.

NPGA executive vice president and general manager Myers, who will sign the agreement on behalf of the 4,000 member NPCA, calls the Clean Cities pact historic. "The Chicago area helped lead the nation into the industrial age and is now at the forefront of another era: the clean cities age."

The propane industry is well-positioned to help in the transition to clean-burning fuels in Chicago. Myers noted that there are 45 propane refueling centers in the Chicago area, more than double the 20 compressed natural gas fuel centers here, making it the most accessible alternative fuel in the region. By 1998, the total number of alternative refueling centers in Chicago is expected to reach 261, according to data from the City of Chicago.

"In addition to its availability, propane gas has other significant advantages: Nationally, its price is up to 30 percent lower than that of gasoline, and its gas mileage per gallon is more than twice that of natural gas," said Myers. •

July 1994 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 5