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New Partners Named to the Blue Skyways Collaborative

Release Date: 10/03/2007
Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, (913) 551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov; or Kim Olson, (913) 485-1219, olson.kim@epa.gov

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Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 3, 2007) - Cleaner air is on the horizon in Missouri and across the nation's Heartland as 15 new partners and communities are welcomed into the Blue Skyways Collaborative, which spans 10 Midwestern states. The projects of these new partners will reduce yearly air pollution by 900 tons and greenhouse gases by 1,768 tons. These figures will contribute to the total collaborative emissions reductions of 40,840 tons of pollutants and 535,070 tons of greenhouse gases, along with 22 million gallons in fuel savings.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrators John Askew, Region 7, and Richard Greene, Region 6, presented the partnership awards during the collaborative's biannual meeting at the Drury Plaza Hotel in downtown St. Louis. The theme of the meeting is "Making Energy Connections."

Askew said, "We're pleased to recognize our new partners and to spend time sharing information with all our Blue Skyways participants this week. The kind of interaction we're having here is important to advancing the goals of cleaner air for all of us."

"Blue Skyways is working to bring cleaner air and healthier lives to the 50 million people who make up America’s heartland," said Greene. "With a growing list of committed partners and pollution control technologies, we are saving millions of gallons of fuel and cutting tons of harmful emissions each year."

The meeting, which encourages participants to share expertise on air pollution technologies, features presentations on renewable energy, green buildings, transportation, fuels, and funding opportunities, along with updates on the collaborative’s progress and goals.

The Blue Skyways Collaborative was formed to encourage voluntary air emissions reductions. Collaborative participants implement projects that use innovations in diesel equipment, alternative fuels, renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency. Following are the organizations being recognized and the type of projects they are conducting:

• Anheuser-Busch Inc., Houston, Texas, Brewery (energy efficiency)
• Grace Hill Settlement House, St. Louis, Mo. (idle reduction)
• St. Louis Association for Community Organizations (idle reduction)
• Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. (renewable energy)
• Metropolitan Energy Center, Kansas City, Mo. (energy efficiency)
• Omaha Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, Omaha, Neb. (alternative transportation)
• Entegrity Wind Systems Inc., Boulder, Colo. (renewable energy)
• Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (renewable energy)
• City of Tulsa, Okla. (alternative fuels and idle reduction)
• Houston-Galveston Area Council, Texas (diesel retrofits)
• Port of Corpus Christi, Texas (idle reduction and alternative fuels)
• Pollution Prevention Partnership - Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, Texas (vehicle maintenance)
• Green Mountain Energy Co., Austin, Texas (renewable energy)
• Missouri Botanical Garden's Earthways Center, St. Louis, Mo. (renewable energy)
• Silver Eagle Distributors, Houston, Texas (alternative fuels)