2006 Clean Cities Congress and Expo Opens Today

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The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute is joined by Valley of the Sun and Tucson Regional Clean Cities in presenting the Clean Cities Congress and Expo 2006. Fueling Economic Solutions is both the theme and focal point as our presenters and exhibitors drive home the business case for alternative fuels.

This Congress features outstanding speakers, exciting and informative sessions, and a chance to talk with the companies providing affordable alternative fuels, vehicles, and advanced technologies that are available today. Understanding regulations, energy bill opportunities, and side-by-side cost comparisons of fuels and vehicles will provide you with the information you need to make decisions for the road ahead. With an expected 1,500 attendees and 75 exhibitors, this is the largest alternative fuel and vehicle technology gathering in the world.

Greetings from
Will Kleindienst
Congress Chairman:

Dear Friends,

We are at a crossroads unlike any our nation, or dare I say, our world has

ever seen. The work that our community of alternative fuel professionals is engaged in is of critical importance. We know that America consumes one quarter of the world's daily production of 84 million barrels of oil. One half of that is burned by the 200 million vehicles traveling the cities and highways of America. As a country and a world we are increasing our dependence on vehicles and the oil they run on. With no viable replacement strategy for ever diminishing oil reserves, there are cost-effective, cleaner burning options that exist today. Those options and how to implement them are the focal point of the Clean Cities Congress and Expo 2006.

As I write this (October 2005) gasoline prices are in the $3.00 per gallon range causing panic buying in some places. Heating oil prices have already reached $2.50 per gallon in some areas. Hurricane Katrina resulted in one-quarter of the nation's oil production and 10% of its refinery capacity going offline for at least several weeks. Natural gas wholesale prices for the coming winter are more than five times 1990's levels. In short, all of our energy markets are under greater pressure and are changing more rapidly than we've seen in 25 years.

If you are in any way responsible for managing the bottom line as part of your job, this is THE conference to attend. As oil prices skyrocket, alternative fuels are finally emerging as the affordable way to not only lower your fuel costs, but also employ strategies that positively impact global climate and energy supply concerns.

The speakers and exhibitors at the 2006 Congress will address solutions and assist in determining the best vehicle and fuel choices for fleets. The backdrop is the beautiful desert city of Phoenix, Arizona. On behalf of our industry sponsors, the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute, and Arizona Clean Cities, it will be my sincere pleasure to welcome you to what promises to be the most important educational opportunity you will have in 2006.

Sincerely,

Clean Cities Congress Chairman