WASHINGTON, DC –- The propane industry announced the winners of the fourth annual PROPANE Exceptional Energy Fleet Awards. Five fleets were recognized for exceptional propane-powered fleet applications: the City of San Antonio, TX; El Milagro, Chicago, IL; Island Explorer, Ellsworth, ME; VIA Metropolitan Transit, San Antonio, TX; and Jacksonville Electric Authority, Jacksonville, FL. The PROPANE Exceptional Energy Fleet Awards recognize the achievements of vehicle fleet leaders who use propane to fuel their vehicle fleets and promote public awareness of propane as a cost-effective, safe and clean-burning motor fuel. The awards were presented on May 3 at the U.S. Department of Energy's Tenth National Clean Cities Conference & Expo in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. 2004 Exceptional Energy Fleet Award Winners:

• The City of San Antonio, Texas was recognized as an example of how local governments can create an economical, self-sufficient, and environmentally conscious fleet program. The City operates four propane-refueling stations throughout San Antonio to keep its fleet of 363 propane-powered light- and medium-duty trucks running. This year, the City of San Antonio will add another 100 light-duty propane vehicles.
  

• El Milagro, a small Mexican family-owned business located on the south side of Chicago, was recognized for its delivery fleet. The company runs 24 of its 32 delivery trucks on propane and operates its own propane refueling station.
  

• Island Explorer, which operates at Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, was recognized for powering all 17 of its Bluebird TranShuttle buses on propane. In 2002, the bus system carried more than 281,000 riders—a 107-percent increase in ridership since 1999, the first year the service was offered. Paul Murphy, operations manager for Downeast Transportation, which operates the shuttle system, accepted the award.
  

• VIA Metropolitan Transit of San Antonio, Texas runs 98 percent of its transit bus fleet on propane and uses nearly 2.5 million gallons of propane annually.
  

• The Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) was recognized because it currently utilizes propane to power 28 light-duty fleet vehicles and five forklifts in its off-road equipment fleet. In 1982, JEA started using propane to power medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

  More than 200,000 propane-powered vehicles are in use today in the United States, and more than 9 million are in use worldwide. Clean burning and efficient propane is also widely used in forklift and agriculture applications, as well as in other special-duty vehicles and engines.