WASHINGTON - The Department of Energy's Clean Cities initiative won the Golden Bullet Award on May 11 in recognition of its success in deploying alternative-fuel and advanced-technology vehicles through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 

Annalloyd Thomason, the executive director of the Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Institute, presented the award to Clean Cities Director Dennis Smith at the 2010 Alternative Fuels and Vehicles National Conference and Expo. 

Clean Cities is responsible for managing $300 million in Recovery Act funding to support the investments made by transit authorities, state governments, and local governments in clean vehicles and alternative fuel infrastructure. A total of 25 cost-shared projects will put more than 9,000 alternative-fuel and energy-efficient vehicles on the road, establish 542 refueling locations, and install more than 1,000 electric charging stations nationwide. 

These projects include the use of natural and renewable gas, propane, ethanol, biodiesel, electricity, and hybrid technologies and will displace 38 million gallons of petroleum annually. 

The initiative is part of the Vehicle Technology Program within DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Established in 1993, Clean Cities supports 87 local coalitions that promote the growth of alternative fuels and energy efficient vehicles.