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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – This year marks the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program, made up of 75 coalitions across the country working to advance alternative transportation fuels, energy-efficient mobility systems, and other fuel-saving technologies and practices. Clean Cities coalitions work in urban, suburban, and rural communities to understand local priorities and build partnerships with local transportation stakeholders to foster the nation’s economic, environmental, and energy security.
In 2006, our area’s Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition (C5) was officially designated as the local Clean Cities coalition by the U.S. DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO). Hosted by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) since 2020, C5 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to advance the use of alternative fuel vehicles and fueling infrastructure across California’s Central Coast, including Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Clean Cities, U.S. DOE invited Clean Cities coalitions and stakeholders to attend the Clean Cities Stakeholder Summit in Virginia in September. At the Stakeholder Summit, the County of Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (SBMTD) received “Alternative Fuel Vehicle Leadership” awards for their commitments to reduce petroleum consumption by using alternative fuels and promoting energy-efficient mobility systems. Brandon Kaysen, the County of Santa Barbara’s Energy Manager, and Ryan Gripp, SBMTD’s Capital Projects Manager, accepted the awards in-person on behalf of their respective organizations.
The County of Santa Barbara has exhibited its commitment to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by adopting a zero-emission vehicle policy in early 2023, requiring all non- public safety internal-combustion engine light-duty vehicles — including sedans, pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs in its fleet — to be replaced with zero-emission vehicles once reaching end-of-life. To support the influx of new electric vehicles within the region, the County of Santa Barbara plans to expand its current
network of 127 EV charging stations by installing an additional 182 EV charging stations at existing sites and 51 EV charging stations at new sites.
SBMTD has been a long-standing leader in sustainable transportation efforts on Santa Barbara County’s South Coast, shown through a history of successfully deploying battery-electric buses in its fleet since 1991 and its goal to have a 100% zero-emissions fleet by 2030. In addition to its fleet of battery-electric and hybrid-electric transit buses, SBMTD is working to launch a new all-electric micro-transit service, “The Wave,” to offer a flexible, on-demand, curb-to-curb service to the general public.
At the Clean Cities National Workshop in September, C5 accepted an “Innovative Project” award for supporting the “Protecting Blue Whales & Blue Skies” program, a voluntary Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) Program along the coast of California which incentivizes companies to incorporate sustainable shipping practices across their global supply chain. Protecting Blue Whales & Blue Skies aligns with the mission of Clean Cities as it reduces fuel usage and regional greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in significant air quality improvements across California.