PAG’s Clean Cities program partners with Petrified Forest National Park

Pima Association of Governments’ Clean Cities program will team up with Petrified Forest National Park as part of a sustainable transportation initiative between the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Park Service, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced.

Petrified Forest will install two public electric vehicle charging stations, one at each end of the park located in northeastern Arizona as part of the Clean Cities National Parks Initiative. One will be a DC fast charger that can add 50 to 70 miles of range to a vehicle in 20 minutes. The second charger is capable of adding approximately 40 miles of range per hour.

Visitors who drive their plug-in electric vehicles to the park will have access to the only fast-charging station in northeastern Arizona that can fuel any electric vehicle. In addition, the park will add an allelectric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to its fleet. “Reducing fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions is a defined priority for our agency, and we are elated to “go green” working with these valued partners,“ said park superintendent Brad Traver.

Petrified Forest and Clean Cities staff also will educate park visitors, tour bus drivers and park staff on the benefits of reducing vehicle idling.

Project partners include Tucson Clean Cities, Petrified Forest and Goe3, the Phoenix-based company supplying the EV infrastructure capable of charging any and all electric vehicles. Bruce Brimacombe, CEO at GOe3, said, “Goe3 is proud to be part of this exciting project, ensuring families who drive electric vehicles have the opportunity to visit our national parks with zero emissions a goal in which any company should be proud.”

The U.S. Department of Energy is helping the National Park Service fulfill its mission on every level by adopting alternative fuel vehicles, minimizing petroleum use, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. Since three initial projects in 2010, the national Clean Cities program has grown to efforts at more than 27 national parks.