MERRILLVILLE — A nonprofit environmental organization funded by the U.S. Department of Energy has selected six northwest Indiana communities to join a program that aims to significantly improve the environmental performance of municipal fleets.

Officials at South Shore Clean Cities Inc. announced the following communities will participate in the Northwest Indiana Green Fleet program: Dyer, East Chicago, Hobart, LaPorte, Portage and Valparaiso.

“The goal of the Green Fleet program is to work with governmental fleets in Lake County, LaPorte County and Porter County to lessen the barriers to adopt alternative fuels and create policies to support reductions of petroleum use and vehicle emissions,” he said.