National Parks Initiative

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) partners with the National Park Service (NPS) through the Clean Cities National Parks Initiative. The initiative supports transportation projects that educate park visitors on the benefits of shifting to affordable, domestic alternative fuels, advanced vehicles, and fuel-saving technologies and strategies. Since 2010, VTO and Clean Cities and Communities coalitions have partnered with NPS on 35 projects to put alternative fuel and fuel-efficient vehicles on the road, reduce vehicle idling, and improve vehicle efficiency. These actions support and coincide with NPS's efforts to reduce vehicle congestion, air pollution, and resource degradation, and to preserve the long-term quality of the parks.

Christiansted National Historic Site

Find a Project Christiansted National Historic SiteBy park...Acadia National Park Blue Ridge Parkway Cape Cod National Seashore Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site Catoctin Mountain Park Cedar Breaks National Monument Christiansted National Historic Site Denali National Park and Preserve Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Golden Gate National Recreation Area Grand Teton National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park Independence National Historical Park Mammoth Cave National Park Mesa Verde National Park Mississippi National River and Recreation Area National Mall and Memorial Parks Nicodemus National Historic Site Pea Ridge National Military Park Petrified Forest National Park Petroglyph National Monument Pipe Spring National Monument Point Reyes National Seashore Rocky Mountain National Park Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Scotts Bluff National Monument Shenandoah National Park Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Yellowstone National Park Zion National Park

Fort Christiansvaern is a well-preserved stronghold on the waterfront overlooking a northern edge of St. Croix, and is located on the grounds of the Christiansted National Historic Site. Courtesy of NPS

Christiansted National Historic Site, located in the U.S. Virgin Islands, commemorates urban colonial development and offers visitors a chance to experience the history and lifestyle of that time. In 2015, the park added two electric vehicles to its fleet and installed two electric vehicle charging stations within the historic site. The project serves multiple functions: to reduce emissions, to promote sustainable transportation, and to diversify the park's fleet to include alternative fuel vehicles. The new vehicles are also used to educate island residents about electric vehicle charging stations and clean energy technology in transportation through the park's interpretive program on climate change and sustainability.

See how the Clean Cities National Parks Initiative supports parks transportation projects.

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