The Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition is inducting the first three members into its Certified Green Partners program today. This announcement opens the program for other Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition member partners to apply for certification status.
The program targets coalition members that provide fleet or fuel sales data for analysis of the pollutants emitted prior to the deployment of their fuel or technology. The applicants are ranked on a one- to five-star rating, based on a detailed analysis of their projects’ emission reduction benefits, and certified partners can promote their fleets’ greening efforts and include that in corporate sustainability portfolio information.
The Greater Indiana Green Partners being honored are:
- ampCNG/Fair Oaks Dairy – 5 Star Class 8 fleet of 42 compressed natural gas trucks
- City of Ft. Wayne, IN – 3 Star fleet of hybrid and hybrid electric fleets since 2005
- Thornton’s – 3 Star retailer offering higher ethanol blends and E85 at retail locations across their store portfolio
Eligible vehicle types include all on-road vehicles, such as buses, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and light-duty commercial and passenger vehicles.
All owners and operators of public-access refueling infrastructure are eligible for the Certified Green Partners program. This includes higher ethanol and biodiesel blends, compressed and liquefied natural gas, propane autogas, electric vehicle charging ports at fuel retail stations, and hydrogen fueling infrastructure.
The program will measure reductions in four specific emissions: fine particulate matter; nitrogen oxides (NOx); volatile organic compounds (VOCs); and carbon dioxide (CO2)
The EPA designates 54 counties in Indiana as maintenance counties for their emission levels. “This status means that they are close to exceeding the emission levels allowed by the U.S. EPA,” says Kellie Walsh, executive director of the Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition. “When exceeded, a county’s ability to draw new industrial and commercial businesses into their area can be restricted.”
