07-14-12 CO Governor Hickenlooper and Oklahoma governor meet with auto manufacturers to promote natural gas vehicle development

DENVER ­— Friday, July 13, 2012 — Gov. John Hickenlooper today announced he will join Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin to meet with executives at Chrysler Group LLC, General Motors Co., and Ford Motor Company in Detroit on Monday, July 16. The governors will discuss with the automakers the multi-state agreement Colorado and Oklahoma initiated last fall with 11 other states to promote the use of natural gas vehicles.

“Natural gas vehicles provide clean, affordable transportation that can increase our nation’s energy security and bolster economic development,” Hickenlooper said. “We believe there will is strong interest in natural gas vehicles and we want to leverage the collective purchasing power of state fleets to jumpstart that market. These meetings will help establish a mutually beneficial partnership between the 13 states on the agreement and the auto companies.”

The governors will also tour the auto manufacturing plants and drive natural gas vehicles during the visit of the manufacturers.

The Memorandum of Understanding is a bi-partisan, coordinated effort to develop a functional and affordable original equipment manufacturer fleet natural gas vehicle that will also meet public demand. The governors that have signed the MOU with Colorado and Oklahoma are: Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. Additional states are expected to participate in a formal vehicle solicitation, which is scheduled for release later this summer.

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