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.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Find a Project Sleeping Bear Dunes National LakeshoreBy 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

Sand dunes and forests rise from the shores of Lake Michigan. Courtesy of NPS

In 2013, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore added one propane pickup truck and three plug-in electric vehicles to its fleet and installed four electric vehicle charging stations and an air pump that will allow drivers to keep their tires properly inflated. These measures will reduce the environmental impact of the park's fleet by about 15%, as compared to a 2010 baseline. The new vehicles and infrastructure will help educate the park's 1.3 million visitors about alternative fuels and fuel-efficient driving. Working with Michigan's Clean Energy Coalition, the park developed an extensive training and outreach program to educate staff, concessioners, and visitors on the benefits of idle reduction.

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

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