WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the recipients of this year’s Clean Cities National Partner Awards at a ceremony at the 2004 National Clean Cities Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Bestowed annually by DOE’s Clean Cities Program, the National Partner Awards recognize outstanding efforts in advancing non-petroleum alternative fuels used in transportation. These fuels include natural gas, ethanol, bio-diesel, propane, and electricity. The 2004 National Partner Awards were presented to the following government entities, companies, and individuals.

• The city of Hollywood, Fla., which operates approximately 159 vehicles on compressed natural gas (CNG).
  

• The City of Greensboro, N.C., which switched its entire fleet of 751 diesel-fueled vehicles to run on bio-diesel.
  

• The Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which operates nearly 400 light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles on alternative fuels.
  

• Mammoth Cave National Park of Kentucky, which leads all national parks in the use of alternative fuels in tour buses and tests electric vehicles for its own staff transportation needs.
  

• The Texas Department of Transportation, which operates nearly 5,000 AFVs and used approximately 6 million gallons of alternative fuels in 2003.
  

• The Los Angeles departments of Environmental Affairs and Transportation, which are both instrumental in advancing the use of propane. The fuel powers 170 buses serving the city.
  

• General Motors, which produces more vehicles capable of running on E85 ethanol fuel than any other manufacturer. The company has promoted E85 in marketing campaigns.
  

• Westport Innovations, which works with the world’s leading engine manufacturers to develop propane, natural gas, and hydrogen technology.
  

• ANGI International, which designed and services more than 500 natural gas fueling stations worldwide.
  

• World Energy Alternatives, which is the nation’s leading supplier of bio-diesel fuel, based in Chelsea, Mass. Its customers include local, state, and federal agencies including the U.S. military.
  

• The Sansone Dealer Group, which sold more than 100 natural gas vehicles in 2003 and sold and serviced hundreds of AFVs and hybrid vehicles.
  

• Ron Shipley of Pierce Transit was honored as this year’s AFV Hero. The vice president of maintenance has led his employer to steadily increase the use of natural gas in its bus fleet.
  

• The city of Cairo, Egypt, was honored by Clean Cities as this year’s International Partner of the Year. Egypt ranks among the top 10 countries in the number of CNG-fueled vehicles and has approximately 78 CNG stations.

  The goal of the Clean Cities Program is to reduce the nation’s dependence on petroleum, strengthen energy security, and improve the environment.