"Despite, the recent drop in gasoline prices, gas prices remain extremely volatile and we continue to send more than $300 billion per year to OPEC and other nations for oil," stated Robin Erickson. "We are going to Washington to make sure our representatives understand that the United States must aggressively expand our use of alternatives to petroleum-based fuel if we are to stabilize gas prices, decrease our reliance on foreign oil, and maintain and create domestic jobs in the energy industry." According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are now almost 1.2 million alternative fuel vehicles on the road in the United States and almost 40,000 alternative fueling stations. Tammie Bostick-Cooper who heads up the Northern Office of Utah Clean Cities stated the following, "Utah has completed the Natural Gas Corridor from the Idaho border to Nevada. Utah has more natural gas fueling stations per capita than any other state. We have a total of 70 alternative fueling stations and 107 public EV charging stations. We have over 25,000 alternative fuel vehicles in the state and are 6th in the nation per capita in EV adoption. This sounds impressive and it is! But, these metrics account for less than 1% of the vehicles on the road in Utah. The foundation has been laid, now we really need to amp up our efforts and continue to bring alternative fuel incentives to Utah and clean up our serious air problem!" Transportation Energy Partners (TEP), the Summit organizer, reports that Summit participants will have the opportunity to interact with top Administration officials, including leaders from the Departments of Energy, Transportation and Defense, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, Summit participants will take their message about the need for ongoing federal support for alternatives to petroleum-based fuels to more than 200 Congressional offices. "American industry has demonstrated the ability to produce high performing technology to meet the demand for alternatives to petroleum fuel," stated Sam Spofforth, President of Transportation Energy Partners (TEP). "However, insufficient and inconsistent government incentives and support hinder companies' ability to make the long-term investments required to sustain these clean transportation solutions. We need stable and predictable federal investments to enable fleets and technology developers to make sound long-term planning and investment decisions."
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