Date: May 16, 2014
Contact: Aly Baltrus, 435-772-0164
Zion National Park and its sister park, Pipe Spring National Monument, were selected to receive new alternative fuel and fuel-efficient vehicles through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities National Parks Initiative.
Zion and Pipe Spring are partnering with Utah Clean Cities Coalition (UCCC) to replace three petroleum-powered fleet vehicles with two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and one all-electric vehicle. Ten electric vehicle charging stations will be installed, five of which will be available for public use. The public charging stations will be located at the National Park Service Visitor Centers in Zion Canyon, Kolob Canyons, and Pipe Spring. The vehicles will be purchased this fiscal year and construction on the charging stations could start as early as this fall.
Zion, Pipe Spring, and UCCC will also utilize the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Green Rides Toolkit” to engage visitors and staff in practicing more fuel-efficient driving habits as well as increase awareness of the effects of excess vehicle idling. The toolkit is available to the public at https://www1.eere.energy.gov.
“Zion National Park continues to be a ‘green’ and progressive park by using alternative fuels. Adding the electric vehicles and charging stations helps to connect the dots for the visitors and allows them to travel into Pipe Spring as well. We are very excited,” says Robin Erickson, Executive Director, UCCC. The Clean Cities National Parks Initiative was developed through a partnership of the National Park Service, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with the intent of supporting transportation projects that educate park visitors on the benefits of cutting petroleum use and vehicle emissions.
Clean Cities is a national network of nearly 100 coalitions across the U.S., which purpose is to advance the nation’s economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local actions to reduce petroleum consumption in transportation.
