The Triangle J Council of Governments today won a $13 million Clean Cities grant in federal stimulus funds to help buy a fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles and build a network of fueling and charging stations in North and South Carolina.

The grant, announced by the U.S. Department of Energy, will fund about one-third of the Carolinas Blue Skies and Green Jobs Initiative for electric, hybrid-electric, compressed natural gas (CNG), propane, E85 ethanol and biodiesel vehicles. Many of the new stations will be located in the Triangle.

The Energy Department said the new vehicles will displace an estimated 724,000 gallons of petroleum annually. The program will build 45 E85 and biodiesel fueling stations, eight propane stations and 132 electric vehicle recharging stations. It will buy 55 CNG vehicles, 363 propane vehicles, 89 hybrid-electric vehicles and 56 neighborhood electric vehicles.

"We are ecstatic to get this award," said Sean Flaherty of Triangle J COG, a regional planning agency.