The Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition (GWRCCC) has announced the winners of its 2019 Clean Transportation Awards.
In its annual report to the U.S. Department of Energy, GWRCCC reported a 2018 reduction of petroleum use in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area of more than 11 million gallons, resulting in greenhouse-gas (GHG) emission reductions of more than 54,000 tons. Organizations and individuals responsible for this success, along with other outstanding examples of clean transportation stewardship, are this year’s award recipients:
- The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for green initiatives, including the installation of electric charging for travelers, airport tenants and ride-share providers;
- The director of the DC Department of For Hire Vehicles, David Do, for his aggressive efforts to improve the driving and revenue-generating experiences of ride-share drivers and incentivize their adoption of electric vehicles (EVs);
- The Maryland Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Council for its steadfast efforts to remove barriers to the early adoption of EVs;
- DC Water for its bio-methane recovery program, which currently generates more than 10 MW of electricity, which could be used in the future for clean transportation needs;
- DC Department of Transportation and its Circulator Bus team for its growing number of electric transit buses and its collegial interaction with GWRCCC;
- Montgomery County (MD) Ride-On for its 125 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and 68 hybrid electric buses, which displaced nearly 1.15 million gasoline gallons equivalent in 2018;
- Ourisman Honda, of Bethesda, Md., for its promotion of electric and natural gas vehicles and its community work to resolve differences between urban developers and bike path advocates;
- EZ-EV for designing an indoor test track at the 2019 Washington Auto Show and for helping influence a positive change of opinion about EVs;
- Capital One for its extensive workplace EV charging infrastructure at its new Tysons headquarters building;
- Renewable Energy Group for the introduction of biodiesel fuel in the Washington area and new renewable biodiesel products;
- Royal Farms for its leadership in opening 10 E15 and E85 stations in Maryland and the resulting sale of more than 1.2 million gallons of E85 this year alone;
- Prince George’s County, Md., for its propane vehicle and infrastructure project;
- Arlington Transit for displacing more than 337,000 gallons of gasoline in its 65 CNG buses, providing a GHG reduction of 284 tons;
- The DC Department of Public Works for its biodiesel and E85 programs, which reduced petroleum use by 118,000 gallons, and its light-duty fleet, which consumed more than 283,000 gallons of E85 last year; and
- Sergeant Richard Hartnett of the Hyattsville, Md., Police Department, who regularly engages the public in discussions about his EV Chevy Bolt patrol car.
More details about the award winners can be found here.