Clean Energy Fuels and the City of Nichols Hills Presented ACOG Clean Cities Vision Awards

Awards Recognize Regional Alternative Fuel Leadership

The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) Zach D. Taylor, Jr. Clean Cities Vision Awards honor Central Oklahoma Clean Cities Coalition stakeholder’s accomplishments in promoting and deploying alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies.

This year’s award winners are Clean Energy Fuels and the City of Nichols Hills.

Clean Energy Fuels, a provider of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) fueling stations, has been a driver in the development of a statewide CNG network.

“Clean Energy Fuels has led innovative CNG refueling station projects that have made Oklahoma a national leader. Their strategic approach to deploying CNG and RNG stations, education to fleet operators, and securing grants has helped transition fleets into cleaner CNG powered vehicles.” said Mark Sweeney, ACOG Executive Director.

Similarly making strides in improving air quality, the City of Nichols Hills is being recognized for investments across the board in sustainability. Nichols Hills has added electric vehicles and charging stations to their municipal fleet, in addition to a CNG powered waste management truck.

“The City of Nichols Hills is leading by example helping improve our region’s air quality. In addition to the alternative fuel vehicles and stations added to the municipal fleet, they have also adopted a new Sustainability Plan. This provides a blueprint, not only for Nichols Hills, but surrounding communities to improve quality of life for residents and protect the environment,” said Eric Pollard, ACOG Central Oklahoma Clean Cities Manager.

In addition to the Vision awards, ACOG honored State Senator Mary Boren of Norman, Okla., with the Clean Cities Legislative and Policy Advocate Award for her work educating policy makers on the benefits of electric vehicles and economic opportunities of electrification and advanced vehicle technologies.

“It was our great pleasure to acknowledge Senator Boren’s vision for clean transportation in Central Oklahoma and the State. Over the years Senator Boren has hosted EV Clubs at the Capitol providing training on how to advocate on EV issues with legislators.” Pollard said. “As a legislator and clean transportation advocate, Senator Boren was very involved in discussions ensuring the annual fee on electric vehicle drivers was fair.”

The Clean Cities Stakeholder of the Year Award was presented to Jared Schwennesen, Multi-Modal Division Manager from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Mr. Schwennesen is an integral leader in the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program for Oklahoma creating EV charging stations along alternative fueled corridors. In addition to his work on NEVI he is involved with numerous other transportation improvement projects throughout the state. His leadership and willingness to provide assistance has made him a valuable part of the clean transportation community in our region.

“ACOG and Clean Cities really enjoys working with Jared. He is dedicated to providing all Oklahomans with transportation and mobility options whether its EVs or public transit.” Pollard said.

Lastly, a Lifetime Advocate Award was announced for Dirk Spiers, Founder of Spiers New Technologies, the leading full-service provider of storage, distribution & logistics, first life extension and recycling services for electric vehicle batteries. Spiers New Technologies, acquired by Cox Automotive in 2022, has made Central Oklahoma an epicenter of a battery life cycle management industry – creating hundreds of clean energy jobs while providing global circular economy solutions.

This year’s award luncheon marks the 27th Anniversary of the Central Oklahoma Clean Cities Coalition.