The Drive Clean Rural USA Project is funded by the Department of Energy and led by Transportation Energy Partners, a national non-profit organization that brings Clean Cities coalition leaders together with the clean transportation industry to advance policies that will reduce American dependence on petroleum-based fuels.
Drive Clean Rural Operating States
Eight Clean Cities Coalitions, including Virginia Clean Cities, are working with TEP to provide on-the-ground assistance to the 24 selected counties, and to companies and institutions in those counties. In addition to Clean Cities Coalitions, this project is also supported by an amazing group of industry partners. Through this project, VCC has been able to provide free fleet assessments to the City of Fredericksburg, the University of Mary Washington, Pittsylvania County and Virginia State Parks as well as provide demonstrations around the Commonwealth.
This is a learning project; we want to understand what is going to help rural communities transition to cleaner fuels and vehicles, and what barriers exist that might need to be addressed by policy incentives, state and federal investments, or education. Through this project, we will be providing rural fleets and counties with four areas of assistance: Fleet Technical Assistance, Demonstration Vehicles, support of Regional Jobs and Business Growth, and Promotion of Fleet Leadership. Our ultimate goal is to see positive action come out of the counties we engage. That might include a commitment to purchase one or more alternative fuel vehicles in the short term, or a plan to transition a fleet, and/or commitments from commercial and institutional fleets in your county.
Replication Playbook
The Drive Clean Rural USA Replication Playbook is an initiative to document all the lessons learned by the organizations who partnered in this project. This resource is intended to increase the effectiveness of future partnerships and projects by showing engagement strategies that work.
Access the Playbook
Learn lessons from our experiences in identifying stakeholders, exploring new partnerships and engagement processes throughout the country.
Access the Resource Guide
This document provides a list of resources and links related to the Drive Clean Rural project, fleet analysis and other tools.
For more resources, visit the Transportation Energy Partners (TEP) page on Drive Clean Rural USA: https://www.transportationenergypartners.org/dcrusa-clean-energy-rural-fleets.html
Project Webinars
Drive Clean Rural USA – Replication Playbook Overview – Clean Rural Transportation
Rural communities often face unique hurdles—from limited staffing and budgets to policy challenges—that can slow progress toward cleaner transportation. Drive Clean Rural USA tackled these barriers head-on by offering technical education, workforce training, cost analyses, and fleet assessments. The project also provided real-world demonstrations of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) to help communities see the benefits firsthand. By delivering clear, practical information about the environmental and economic advantages of AFVs and infrastructure, the initiative empowered rural fleets to make informed, sustainable choices that meet their local needs. This video highlights our five key Focus Areas and how they are helping drive change in rural America.
Speakers Include…
- Steven Montoya, Executive Director, Transportation Energy Partners
- Gregory Brennan, Program Coordinator, Virginia Clean Cities
- Frank Dean, Marketing Manager, Green Fleet, Altec
- Joel Stutheit, Senior Manager of Autogas, P.E.R.C
Clean School Buses Success Stories & EPA Clean School Bus Rebate Program
The Drive Clean Rural USA project lead, Transportation Energy Partners, hosted a webinar on June 21st with a great lineup of speakers, including two EPA staff who spoke about how to apply for clean school bus rebates, and three school transportation experts who shared how their districts have benefitted from propane, electric and natural gas school buses.
Speakers Include…
- Faye Swift, Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Program Grants and Policy Team Leader, EPA
- Clayton Batko, Outreach and Regional Coordinaiton Lead, Clean School Bus Program, EPA
- Deborah Coles, Director of Transportation, Safety, and Security, Louisa County Public Schools (VA)
- Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation, Jordan School District (UT)
- Joel Stutheit, Director of Transportation, Bethel School District (WA)
Drive Clean Rural VA: USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program
On April 19th, 2021, VCC was joined by USDA Rural Development Virginia State Director, Perry Hickman, and Community Programs Specialist, Barbara Hodges, of USDA Rural Development to discuss the USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program.
Drive Clean Rural VA: Clean Fuels Serving Law Enforcement
As part of the Drive Clean Rural USA project, this webinar featured…
- Tyler Herrmann of Louisiana Clean Fuels speaking on Electric Vehicles
- Chief Koskinas and Officer Sampson from Westport, CT Police Department operating EVs
- Mike Phillips from Alliance AutoGas speaking on Propane
- Major Wells from Spotsylvania County,
Drive Clean Rural Virginia: How Can Clean Fuels Serve Your Community?
On September 21st, 2021, VCC joined alternative fuel experts, fleets and counties for a webinar highlighting the benefits of alternative fuels for small and rural communities. As part of the Drive Clean Rural USA project, this webinar featured:
- Mike Phillips from Alliance AutoGas speaking on Propane
- Jill Hamilton from Sustainable Energy Strategies speaking on Ethanol and Biodiesel
- Sherrie Merrow from NGVAmerica speaking on Natural Gas
- Devin Sclater from Dominion Energy speaking on Electrification