Federal Grants Spur Adoption of New Transportation Technologies in Northwest

SEATTLE, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When it comes to moving America's
transportation system away from oil, here in the Northwest you'll find the
dawn of a new age. That new age, which brings together proponents of reducing
America's dependence on foreign oil in transportation, cutting greenhouse gas
emissions and helping the economy, will be the focus of the Cascadia Center of
Discovery Institute's "Beyond Oil" conference Oct. 23-24 on Microsoft's campus
in Redmond, Wash.

The annual conference has become a leading venue for the discussion of a
changing transportation system that will, over time, become less reliant on
oil as a fuel source. Cascadia Center's director, Bruce Agnew, says technology
and government initiatives have created an opportunity to accelerate and
integrate flexible fuel, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The
Seattle-based center has long argued that one of the best ways to reduce
reliance on foreign oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions is through the
widespread integration of PHEVs.

"The Northwest will soon see a growing number of plug-in cars and public
charging stations to power them. Many automakers have committed to producing
plug-in vehicles," says Agnew. "Technology and policy initiatives have caught
up to each other, and that's why a key focus this year is to discuss the new
administration's initiatives and the steps the Northwest is taking to set a
foundation for the electrification of transportation."

The region, Agnew says, has received "competitive federal grant awards that
will help establish the charging and information infrastructure for plug-in
cars." The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the Puget Sound Clean Air
Agency's Clean Cities Coalition program $15 million for alternative fuel and
vehicle projects, which will result in new fueling and electric charging
stations and put at least 650 alternative fuel and advanced technology
vehicles onto the region's roads. The Northwest will also benefit from a $100
million grant that Nissan and eTec received, with help from Idaho National
Laboratory, to install charging stations for owners of the all-electric Nissan
Leaf.

Some of the world's most advanced electric vehicles, including the Tesla
Roadster and the all-electric Ford Focus will be on display at the conference.
Microsoft, Clean Cities, Idaho National Laboratory, Ford and the University of
Washington are all "Beyond Oil" co-sponsors.

More information: www.cascadiacenter.org

SOURCE Cascadia Center of Discovery Institute

Mike Wussow, +1-206-292-0401 x158, mikew@discovery.org