The Winter Board/Stakeholder meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 17 in West Yellowstone, MT. The meeting will run from 10 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. and will be held at the Holiday Inn West Yellowstone located at 315 Yellowstone Ave., West Yellowstone, MT. 
    Amidst a great agenda, we have planned a stakeholder roundtable discussion to aid the Coalition in addressing your needs and concerns. Please consider joining us!   Click HERE to RSVP to the meeting, to receive additional information, or to make suggestions for the roundtable discussion if you will  be unable to attend.

Phil Cameron
 

    I am excited to introduce to you our coalition's new Executive Director, Phillip Cameron. Phil is the first full-time employee of the coalition.  He is enthusiastic about taking the reins to lead us forward with Clean Cities projects and has excellent qualifications to do so.
    He has lived in the area for nearly eight years and brings a diverse professional experience to this position with his strong background in environmental outreach and education, grant writing, community service work and resource management.  His volunteer experiences further exhibit his deep commitment to regional conservation efforts.  Phil said. "This region has long been at the forefront of conservation.  The high profile of the Yellowstone-Teton area offers an excellent opportunity to take a leadership role in defining a more efficient, diverse, and sustainable transportation future."  He has experience in both staff and board positions, including Board Chair for Jackson Hole Trout Unlimited and work in both the public and private sector associated with conservation.
     Phil began work in November, beginning with the Clean Cities National Retreat in Tennessee.  This provided an immediate immersion into Clean Cites information and introduction to other coordinators, as well as DOE personnel from around the nation. We are working together to transfer information about coalition work and orient him to ongoing projects.  Phil is based in Jackson.
     As I ease out of my position as Coordinator, I look back fondly and with appreciation on the program collaboration and organizational development in which many of you have participated. With your support, several public access biodiesel fueling sites were initiated, spread over our three-state region.  While not nearly enough to make a significant difference, this provides a foundation on which to build in conjunction with so many other possibilities for transportation in the region.  
     I intend to continue as a coalition volunteer.  I can tell you that it is going to take "many villages" to bring the progressive transportation we hope for to the region. I ask you to join with me in pitching in whenever and however you are able to help Phil and diminish the burning of petroleum. Let's work together and move forward with more environmentally friendly ways of travel that also enhance our national energy security.
     My special thanks to past and present board members, Jake Lodato of Synetek Research who has been key in producing publications and newsletters, volunteers, project collaborators Story Distributing and Conrad and Bischoff, and Paul House of Bozeman who has been a consistently responsive and patient website manager. Also, special thanks to the City of Idaho Falls, Teton County, Wyoming and the Town of Jackson for their ongoing financial support. Each has been instrumental in accomplishing coalition goals.
     May 2010 bring accomplishment to the Yellowstone-Teton Clean Energy Coalition and to you, personally. I Hope to see you in West Yellowstone on December 17th!

   The 2009 Clean Cities Coordinator Leadership Retreat, hosted November 2-5, in Gatlinburg, TN provided an exciting orientation to the mission of The Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program (CC). With over 140 participants attending, the retreat was a great opportunity for me to network and familiarize myself with the numerous coordinators, stakeholders, and programs affiliated with the Clean Cities Program. Meeting face-to-face with fellow CC Coordinators and industry and agency partners alike, allowed me to build relationships which will certainly support the Yellowstone Teton Clean Energy Coalition's mission to reduce transportation-based petroleum consumption in our region. 
    The numerous and diverse panel discussions and presentations covered a range of topics. We heard updates from the Department of Energy (DOE), National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNEL).  A screening of Motorweek's Public Television segments highlighting Clean Cities success stories was hosted by Emmy Award winning host, John Davis. 
    On the more technical side, Underwriters Laboratory presented about U.L. Certifications and fuels testing relating to future alternative fuels infrastructure. We also heard from GM, Ford, Freightliner, Clean FUEL USA, and Clean Energy about the successes and challenges of fuel and equipment providers collaborating with local coalitions. 
    Representatives from Sysco Food Services, AT&T, and the National Park service (represented by our own Jim Evanoff!) participated in a National Fleets Panel that addressed how to best coordinate efforts and interact with local coalitions to insure success.  We also heard from several public and private project managers that will be providing workshops and training for coordinators and stakeholders on a variety of alternative fuel and alternative vehicle topics. 
    ASG Renaissance presented the findings from their Coalition Growth and Effectiveness Project. Of note were the findings that total hours spent supporting the CC mission directly correlated to the amount of gasoline displaced, and that leadership drives 80% of Coalition success. They also showed that while no particular organizational structure best correlates to success, larger regional approaches did. This was exciting news, considering the regional scope of our coalition, the strength and diversity of our board and the Coalition's decision to hire full-time staff!
    I'm happy to say that there were also numerous social networking events including an afternoon teambuilding exercise in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  Unfortunately I was not able to represent YTCEC in the impromptu, lunch-time football game that materialized one day. However, I missed it only because I took the opportunity to participate in a hands-on tutorial for the new web-based Clean Cities University (CCU). This program is designed to offer a variety of flexible, web-based continuing education opportunities for coordinators. Maybe I can squeeze in some football at next year's retreat. 
  As I acclimate to my new position with the support of Sandy Shuptrine, the Yellowstone-Teton Clean Energy Coalition's Board of Directors and the many eager stakeholders, I will also continue to draw upon the valuable information and resources made available through this CC Annual Retreat.  Thankfully all the presentations have been posted to the event website, so that I can continue to re-visit the information!  Please contact me with any questions about the event, or to receive additional information about specific topics addressed.

 

   The National Biodiesel Conference will be held February 7-10 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas near the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.  Check the website for details of this excellent opportunity for biodiesel users.

 

   A hearty "THANK YOU" to all who lent support during the Old Bill's fundraising event.  We continue to increase the amount raised--this year $3446.50.  Each dollar donated is stretched by matching contributions with this year's match reaching an impressive 53 percent!
 

   The competition was stiff for the Clean Cities FY09 Petroleum Reduction Technologies Projects for the Transportation Sector solicitation for which we submitted  a proposal on behalf of several coalitions in the Northwest. Approximately one out of three applications were awarded funds.  Unfortunately our proposal was not chosen to receive funding. However, we did receive valuable feedback from the process that will help guide our application in the future. Several areas were identified for us to pay closer attention to next time including more specificity regarding financial commitments of partners and improved clarity about  the land values assigned to various sites for in-kind match purposes.  
   It was also clear that we will continue to be challenged by our low population density compared with more urban and coastal regions.  Our thanks to those who signed on as partners.  We want to support their efforts and hope the lessons learned will bring success in our next collaborative effort.
  
 

    It is Clean Cities Annual Survey time for the Department of Energy. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in tracking progress for meeting Clean Cities goals for the year 2009.  Contacts will be made over the next few months regarding alternative fuel and vehicles utilized by your fleet or business.
 

  The Belgrade, MT station that carries biodiesel is now named  CFN  (formerly Pacific Pride). Story Distributing in Bozeman manages the  station.
   In Jackson, the biodiesel pump has relocated to the Shell  
station on West Broadway.  Look for the "Biodiesel Sold Here" sign on the pumps west of the building.
 

Happy Holidays, 

Phillip Cameron
Executive Director

POB 11756, Jackson, WY 83002
(307) 413-1971
phil@ytcleanenergy.org