Apr. 1, 2011 (Canada NewsWire Group) --
~ President Obama Announces National Clean Fleets Partnership ~
VANCOUVER, April 1 /CNW/ - Westport Innovations Inc. (TSX: WPT) (NASDAQ:
WPRT), a global leader in alternative fuel, low-emissions
transportation technologies, announced that today President Barack
Obama, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and Transportation Secretary
Ray LaHood visited a UPS shipping facility in Landover, Maryland to
view various alternative fuel vehicles from UPS, AT&T, Pepsi-Frito Lay,
and Verizon's clean fleets and to announce National Clean Fleets
Partnership. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) Kenworth T800 truck powered
by Westport HD was showcased at the event to demonstrate UPS'
commitment to reduce the emissions of its truck fleet while taking a
step toward U.S. energy security.
According to UPS, as members of the partnership, the companies -
operators of more than 275,000 vehicles combined - pledged to support
the Administration's energy security efforts and to develop new
alternative fuel technologies in tandem with the government. The
combination of private sector innovation with public sector support is
seen as a way to drive efforts to lower America's dependence on foreign
oil while growing the domestic economy and contributing a significant
cost-savings to companies.
This event followed President Obama's remarks on a secure energy future
for America on March 30, 2011 at Georgetown University, Washington,
where he discussed the vital role of natural gas as a new source of
energy, including for the transportation sector. The President also
asked members of Congress and all the interested parties involved to
pass a bill that will help achieve the goal of extracting natural gas
in a safe, environmentally sound way and provide incentives to use
clean-burning natural gas in vehicles instead of oil-based fuels.
"We are thrilled to have President Obama encouraging the use of natural
gas in transportation to reduce emissions and America's dependence on
foreign oil," said David Demers, CEO of Westport Innovations.