The Story Behind the LCF Expansion
Posted by admin on Sep. 20, 2013 / LCF Press Releases / Subscribe 0
LCF (formerly GBRCCC) kicks off its expansion efforts with a brief look back at how it all began
Friday, September 6th was a significant date in the history of the Clean Cities program in Louisiana. With the launch of "Louisiana Clean Fuels" the entire state is now served by the resources of this national alternative fuel development program. As we now move forward to implementing the expansion of the non-profit formerly known as "Greater Baton Rouge Clean Cities Coalition" we recount our story from the past 13 years.
In 1997 a partnership began to foster development of alternative fuel infrastructure and vehicles throughout the Louisiana capitol region. With support from stakeholders across the transportation, utilities, engineering and manufacturing industries as well as local and state government, the Greater Baton Rouge Clean Cities Coalition received official Clean Cities designation from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2000. Three-years of extensive program planning was celebrated with a ceremony held at the Baton Rouge Centroplex. This milestone marked the dedicated focus on a shared mission to enhance local energy security, environmental quality, and economic stability.
The 5-parish region, representing the Environmental Protection Agency’s air-quality non-attainment zone at the time of designation included Ascension, Iberville, Livingston, East Baton Rouge and West Baton Rouge. This area was defined as the jurisdictional region of the Clean Cities Coalition. With support from the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Chairman, Harold Moise and Coordinator, Mike McDaniel, Ph.D., oversaw the GBRCCC incorporation as a registered 501©3 non-profit organization. Since then, the coalition has carried out its mandate through partnerships with hosting organizations including Southern University, the East Baton Rouge City-Parish, and the Louisiana State University.
Volunteer board members represent our most dedicated stakeholder organizations, such as the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, the Capitol Region Planning Commission, Entergy, and PEC. With board member guidance, GBRCCC has proven itself a successful facilitator of public-private partnerships. For example, completed projects have included the purchase of Compressed Natural Gas Trolleys for downtown Baton Rouge, opening an E-85 fueling facility, and installation of electric-vehicle charging equipment on the LSU campus.
In 2009, the Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel Partnership was established to bring Clean Cities resources to the Greater New Orleans area. This U.S. DOE designated Coalition covers a 7-parish area and operates within the Regional Planning Organization. The designation ceremony for the New Orleans region coalition was held in conjunction with a Statewide Clean Cities conference hosted in the Crescent City and organized in partnership with GBRCCC and LDNR. Also that year, the Shreveport city-parish led efforts to apply for designation for a third Clean Cities Coalition for Louisiana, however, the U.S. DOE did not approve that request. After extensive program planning efforts, the area decided to move forward with alternative fuel vehicle project developments without the support of state or federal resources.
With a presence in the state capitol, GBRCCC has historically received requests for technical assistance as well as membership inquires from stakeholders located outside of the official organizational boundaries. For example, in spring of 2012, three out of six display vehicles came from either Lake Charles or Lafayette. As of the 2013 membership roster, GBRCCC had over 140 active members, which includes over 50 that are located outside of the Greater Baton Rouge area. Additionally, several dozen attendees of past events reside in parts of the state not currently represented. We see as an indication of the strong demand for the services that Clean Cities provides outside of the existing GBRCCC territory. These contacts in particular have also offered enthusiastic support for an assessment that considers the opportunities and challenges related to coalition boundary expansion.
Between May 2012 and May 2013, GBRCCC conducted a comprehensive survey of stakeholder demand for Clean Cities services in currently unrepresented areas of Louisiana as well as an analysis of GBRCCCs capacity to supply services to an expanded region. This evaluation process includes the following:
- Composition of state-wide expansion taskforce for advising
- Representative list of regional alternative fuel supply chain stakeholders
- Revision of Annual Operating Plan with goals for stakeholder recruitment and fundraising as well as estimated budget for expanded operations
- Confirmation of interested regional stakeholders
- Development of various scenarios depicting possible revised Coalition boundaries
- Assessment of obstacles to overcome in establishing logistical network
- Impact of expanded program to existing GBRCCC program objectives
Results of this extensive research are represented in the following graphs:
FIGURE 3.2.1 GBRCCC Membership by Region
FIGURE 3.2.2 Louisiana Clean Fuel Survey Respondents by Region
Louisiana Clean Fuels looks forward to offering our alternative fuel project development assistance to stakeholders across the state. Please contact us for more information about our non-profit organization and you can participate in these efforts.
- See more at: http://gbrccc.org/fridays-clean-fuels-luncheon-to-feature-electric-vehicles
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