PALM SPRINGS, CA — Clean Cities Coachella Valley Region and the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute announced their partnership in presenting the 11th National Clean Cities Conference to be held in Palm Springs, California, May 1-4, 2005. The conference provides a forum for industry, government, and other stakeholders to discover their commonalties, collaborate on public policy, investigate opportunities, leverage resources, and develop strategies in the transportation sector to reduce petroleum consumption in communities across the world. 2005 is the first year that the Clean Cities Conference will be operated and managed by the private sector. The Clean Cities Coachella Valley Region coalition is one of 80 community-based Clean Cities programs around the country. They will work in partnership with the Alternative Fuels Vehicle Institute (AFVI), a not-for-profit organization established to promote the transition to alternative-fuel vehicles. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Cities program has presented the conference for the past 10 years. "We're excited about this shift," said Shelley Launey, national director of the Clean Cities program. "Industry support for this event has always been strong. We're at a point where it's time to transition the conference to the private sector, which already funds the vast majority of the effort. This is a very positive move for all of us." The Conference Planning Committee, chaired by Will Kleindienst, former Mayor of Palm Springs, held its first meeting in June. Some program emphases will include advanced technologies, research and market analysis, international market and partnership development, and an extensive look at how fleets can comply with new emissions laws. For questions on the Clean Cities Conference, contact Bert Kronmiller at (760) 343-3456 extension 138 or Annalloyd Thomason at (702) 254-4180 extension 23. For more information on the Clean Cities program go to www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities.