WASHINGTON – Energy Secretary Stephen Chu announced that $5M in funding is available for community-based efforts to deploy electric vehicle infrastructure and charging stations. Secretary Chu and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made the announcement on a conference call with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup, and St. Paul Mayor Christopher Coleman - leaders of three of the nation's nearly 100 Clean Cities Coalitions.

"The Department of Energy's Clean Cities initiative is bringing together local governments and industry to demonstrate the benefits of advanced technology vehicles and help communities use less oil and gasoline to power their vehicles," said Secretary Chu. "The initiatives announced today are just the latest steps in our broader efforts to reduce America's dependence on oil, improve our energy security, and save families and businesses money."

Under the $5 million in electric vehicle funding announced, local governments and private companies will partner to apply for funding to help accelerate installation of electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure. More information on the Funding Opportunity Announcement, including application instructions and deadlines, is available FedConnect.net under the title "DE-FOA-0000451 Clean Cities FY 2011 FOA."

Tucson, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; and St. Paul, Minnesota have been three of the leaders nationally in developing policies to reduce the dependence on oil and gasoline locally, the Department of Energy stated. Projects underway include the deployment of electric vehicles and chargers, E85 flex fuel vehicles and infrastructure, biodiesel facilities that turn used cooking oil into vehicle fuel, natural gas vehicles, and consumer education efforts.