By: Deborah Johnson Wood
If the West Michigan Strategic Alliance (WMSA) garners the coveted Clean Cities designation for Allegan, Barry, Kent, Muskegon, Montcalm, Newaygo, and Ottawa counties, it could generate hundreds of new jobs across several industries.
WMSA is in the process of applying for a Clean Cities designation—an award that recognizes commitments by businesses and organizations to increase the use of alternative fuels. The whole process—application, review, and announcement—could take 18 months or more, but the wait could be well worth it.
“[The award] will create jobs in the construction industry, both in building new ethanol plants and in retrofitting existing gas stations and truck stops to dispense alternative fuels,” says Bill Stough, CEO of Sustainable Research Group. Stough is managing the Clean Cities application project for WMSA.
“It will bring value to farmers because they’ll have an additional outlet for selling corn and soybeans, and it’ll increase the price per bushel,” he adds. “And on the urban level there will be plenty of demand for purchasing alternative fuel buses, trucks, and cars. That will help the auto supply chain by having more vehicles sold.”
Stough goes on to say that Clean Cities can apply for federal funding to help cities buy alternative fuel buses and help gas stations and truck stops install alternative fuel tanks.
“We'll never completely get away from petroleum in our lifetimes," he says, "but we need to begin making the transition. We'll run out of refined oil, and we'll have problems with the atmosphere before then.”
Source: Bill Stough, Sustainable Research Group; West Michigan Strategic Alliance
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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