News

Natural gas touted as fuel of the future in Sallisaw

January 10, 2012. About 50 heard about the increasing use of natural gas as a fuel at a town hall meeting Thursday evening at the Indian Capital Technology Center in Sallisaw, Oklahoma.

State Rep. John Bennett (R-Sallisaw) said he asked James G. Roller, manager corporate development for Chesapeake Energy in Oklahoma City, to make the presentation about natural gas as the fuel for the country’s growth in the future. Bennett said, “Personally, I am disappointed on our continued dependency on foreign oil I want people to know about compressed natural gas.“

Not only could natural gas fuel the future, Bennett said, but the southern half of Sequoyah County and all of LeFlore County have natural gas fields. “There is such an abundance of it,” Bennett said, “We have a great opportunity for something to happen here.”

Roller told the crowd that the state has so much natural gas that, “Oklahoma is considered the Saudi Arabia of natural gas,” according to T. Boone Pickens. He added, “We may have as much oil too.” He said Oklahoma has the third largest amount of natural gas in the country.

Roller explained how Chesapeake Energy extracts natural gas safely. Rigs are hauled to a natural gas site, and drill for about 30 days, both vertically and horizontally, to get to natural gas, using fracturing. He explained the shafts are protected in a number of ways, using both metal shafts and cement, to protect the ground water and its use as potable water. When drilling is complete, separators are used to remove the natural gas from its surrounding agent, which could be water, salt water, mud, etc. The separators are the only equipment that remains at the drilling site, he emphasized, and the company returns the site to its previous natural state.

Roller said he hopes to educate the public about the use of natural gas as a fuel, and pointed out that while gasoline is selling for about $3.10 a gallon now, natural gas is selling for $1.85.

Chesapeake Energy has, with the assistance of General Motors, about 5,000 vehicles running on natural gas, Roller said, and the company is planning on adding more. He predicted that, by the end of the year, all three major vehicle manufacturers will have natural-gas fueled vehicles. In the meantime more compressed natural gas stations are also being built. By 2015, natural gas will be marketed as a liquid fuel, he predicted.

Garden Grove Unified School District receives grant to buy 9 CNG school buses

January 10, 2012. The Californian Garden Grove Unified School District’s fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles continues to enlarge following another grant for the purchase of nine additional school buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG).

With this latest award by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the region’s clean air agency, the GGUSD accepted $1.53 million for the new, lower-emission buses. The grant includes $151.524 per bus base price and $14.000 per bus for CNG fueling station infrastructure. The school district will provide $15.000 per bus in matching funds for its total contribution of $135.000.

The 50-passenger buses purchased through the grant are scheduled for delivery this spring and will replace nine older diesel-powered buses that will be taken off the road and scrapped. CNG buses emit no diesel soot, which is the source of approximately 84 percent of all air pollution cancer risk in the Southland.

With this new financial assistance, the district will soon operate 49 CNG-powered buses, 45 percent of its total fleet, which remains the largest inventory of clean-fuel buses among Orange County school districts.

The GGUSD acquired its first CNG-powered buses though an AQMD grant in 2001, and currently operates 110 school buses.

Lafayette to build two fueling stations for natural gas vehicles

January 9, 2012. Two public fueling stations for natural gas-powered vehicles are set to open this year as part of initiatives that include new buses and converting at least 40 (Louisiana) city-parish vehicles to run on the fuel. The efforts come in a wider push by government and industry to develop natural gas as an alternative vehicle fuel that is touted as a cleaner burning and cheaper than gasoline.

The city-parish is planning to open one fueling station at the public works facility on East University Avenue by next fall. A second station is under construction by Apache Corporation, a Houston-based oil and gas company that has been at the forefront of promoting natural gas as a vehicle fuel. That fueling station is expected to open by February, said Frank Chapel, who oversees Apache's natural gas initiative. He said the company has already built seven such stations in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico and is planning nine more, including the one in Lafayette.

Both stations will be open to the general public, but the main market is expected to be the large vehicle fleets maintained by government agencies and private industry, particularly the oil-and-gas service companies in and around Lafayette.

Lafayette has the largest concentration of fleet vehicles in the state, Chapel said. Natural gas could offer those companies an alternative that is on average about 30 percent cheaper than diesel or gasoline, he said.

Lafayette city-parish government has already seen the savings since rolling out five natural gas-powered buses earlier this year. The new buses had been traveling to Baton Rouge for natural gas before a temporary fueling station was installed in December in Lafayette, he said, but the fuel costs have still been cheaper than the older diesel-powered buses.

He said city-parish government plans to replace the entire municipal fleet with natural gas-fueled buses when the older diesel ones are retired in the coming years. If the entire fleet of about 20 buses all ran on natural gas, the annual fuel cost for the service would likely drop from $800.000 a year to less than $600.000 a year, he said.

Governor McDonnell to support fleet conversion to alternative fuel vehicles in Virginia

January 6, 2012. Governor Bob McDonnell unveiled a series of recommendations for the 2012 General Assembly session that will advance Virginia's role as the Energy Capital of the East Coast.

"Virginia is blessed with a bounty of natural resources that can aid in our nation's growing need for affordable and reliable energy sources," McDonnell said. "From the sustained winds off our Atlantic coast to the rich coalfields of southwestern Virginia, the Commonwealth has the resources to provide a significant portion of our energy needs and to provide affordable energy resources to other states.”

Since the beginning of his administration, Governor McDonnell has been a strong advocate of offshore oil and gas development, and supported moving to alternative fuel vehicles, including compressed natural gas, in an effort to reduce the Commonwealth's dependence on foreign oil. With his leadership, Virginia continues to aggressively fight back against federal limitations of offshore oil and gas development and oppressive new anti-competitive federal regulatory activity that is creating obstacles to developing the domestic energy resources, leaving private capital that could be invested in expanding domestic energy resources on the sidelines at a time when private investment in business expansion and job creation is so urgently needed to heal ailing economy.

The following two legislative proposals will support energy infrastructure expansion and access to traditional energy sources, promote conservation and efficiency, and support the development of alternative and renewable options.

Natural Gas Infrastructure Expansion for Economic Development (Delegate D. Marshall and Senator Wagner): Allows natural gas utilities to expand infrastructure as necessary to provide natural gas to economic development projects where it is not already available and when a project developer commits to at least a five-year contract for natural gas use. At present, a gas utility is not permitted to invest in infrastructure construction costs above the amount that will be paid for gas use. The proposal will also increase the potential for expanded natural gas use in areas of the Commonwealth, spur economic growth and job creation in those areas, and expand the markets for Virginia natural gas resources.

Create the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Conversion Fund (Delegate Poindexter and Senator McWaters): Creates the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Conversion Fund to support the implementation of a plan to convert the state's fleet to alternative fuel vehicles. The plan was requested by the 2011 General Assembly in HB2282 and was advanced by Governor McDonnell's Executive Order 36. The fund would receive a small portion of federal funds provided for congestion mitigation and air quality improvement and be used to pay the difference between the cost of traditional fuel vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles, or for vehicle conversions. Progress is already under way to use the PPEA process to develop a plan to move the Commonwealth's vehicles to alternative fuels and thereby support the expansion of fueling infrastructure, and the markets for Virginia energy resources. The administration has narrowed the field to two potential vendors and will work with them and possible local government partners to negotiate a contract that will allow the conversion of state government vehicles in a practical and cost-effective manner.

Roaring Fork Transportation Authority to buy 22 natural gas buses

January 5, 2012. The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority is pushing ahead with plans to buy up to 22 compressed natural gas (CNG) powered buses as it prepares to implement the expanded Bus Rapid Transit system next year. And, the agency would like to locate its CNG fueling station in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, where other fleet operators and perhaps individual owners of CNG vehicles could make use of the facility, RFTA officials told Garfield County commissioners at a work session.

“If things go well and we are able to do this, we would like to develop some partnerships to build a public fueling station somewhere in the Glenwood Springs area,” Blankenship said at the Wednesday meeting. “To make that happen, we would need to reach out to a broader group.”

That could include financial participation by Garfield County and other local governments, as well as natural gas producers.

“Encana is making a substantial funding award to RFTA to cover a portion of the cost of upgrading 22 new buses to run on compressed natural gas,” Sher Long, stakeholder relations advisor for Encana Oil & Gas, said after the meeting. She said it makes sense for RFTA and other fleet operators to adopt “a clean, low cost, domestically produced fuel to meet this region's transportation needs.”

RFTA will need formal authorization from the FTA in order to purchase the CNG vehicles. The switch will involve up to $3.1 million more in costs for the buses and related infrastructure, plus safety modifications at the bus maintenance facility on Wulfsohn Road in Glenwood Springs, Blankenship said.

The RFTA board is expected to approve the purchase of the new vehicles at its January 12 meeting in Carbondale. But the agency will have until February or March to determine exactly which type of vehicle it will be purchasing. If approved, RFTA would like to have four test buses in operation by January 2013, and the remainder of the new fleet in place by June 2013.

CNG motor fuel tax decals no longer needed in Oklahoma

January 4, 2012. A law, House Bill 1815, takes effect Sunday that no longer requires those with compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to buy a special fuel tax decal. The decals cost $100 each. Motorists using vehicles powered by liquefied petroleum gas still must buy the decals. Those vehicles primarily are used for off-road purposes.

“Compressed natural gas has changed the game,” said Rep. Danny Morgan, author of HB 1815. “Those stickers were originally made for liquefied petroleum gas. The only people that really ran LPG vehicles were mostly farmers or off-road vehicles and didn't travel up and down the highway.”

In most cases, the tanks are taken off the vehicles and brought to be refilled at a dealer. The $100 decal was a one-time fuel tax to cover unlimited refills.

Compressed natural gas in recent years has become a more popular alternative fuel. Conversion kits are available to switch engines from using gasoline to compressed natural gas, and some vehicles may be bought equipped with an engine designed to run on compressed natural gas.

With more compressed natural gas vehicles being used on the roadways, an excise tax similar to a tax on a gallon of gasoline or fuel began being assessed to each gasoline gallon equivalent of compressed natural gas. The compressed natural gas tax, similar to the other fuels' taxes, is included as part of the price paid at the pump.

Filling station attendants were to write down the decal tags and not charge the tax at the pump, said Morgan, D-Prague.

“Theoretically, you could almost get double taxed because all of the CNG units are taxed at the delivery points just like gasoline and diesel is now so you're paying the price at the pump,” he said. “The people that bought the sticker are saying, ‘Wait a minute, I've bought this tax sticker so why should I pay at the pump?' ... So it got to be a real hassle.”

The compressed natural gas fuel tax decals expired Dec. 31.

The compressed natural gas fuel tax is 5 cents per gasoline gallon equivalent, compared with 17 cents per gallon for gasoline and 13 cents for diesel. Money from the tax, similar to proceeds from the gasoline and fuel taxes, goes mostly into an account for state highways and bridges.

“We want to continue to incentivize the use of CNG as a motor fuel,” Morgan said. “So the tax on CNG is lower than it is on gasoline or diesel.”

The lower fuel tax on compressed natural gas is to encourage use of the fuel, Morgan said. The price is tied to legislation passed in 2009 that provides incentives to private fuel businesses to expand into the compressed natural gas market; that legislation is set to expire Dec. 31, 2014. Lawmakers could extend the life of the legislation; when the legislation expires, the price of natural gas is to increase to 13 cents per gasoline gallon equivalent.

“The thought behind that was if there's no more need to incentivize CNG stations that means they're plentiful,” Morgan said. “That means we've got the state covered so now that price should pop back up because now there are enough people using CNG we don't need to incentivize it anymore.”

The city of Ogden to install a CNG fast-fill device at the Ogden Public Works Building

January 3, 2012. The city hopes to begin installing a $603.000 compressed natural gas (CNG) fast-fill device at the Ogden Public Works Building before the end of the year.

Installation of the fast-fill compressor is to be funded with $300.000 from the Utah Clean Cities Coalition and $303.000 from the city's Fleet and Facilities Department budget, said Richard Brookins, the city's fleet and facilities manager.

It's expected that the compressor will be operational in February at the public works facility, 133 W. 29th St.

The Utah Clean Cities Coalition has indicated it will provide a near match for the city's contribution for the compressor, said John Arrington, the city's finance manager. The city council may appropriate funds for the equipment when it meets at 6 p.m. today on the third floor of the Ogden Municipal Building, 2549 Washington Blvd.

The fast-fill compressor will be used to fill the city's compressed natural gas fleet that includes 10 refuse trucks, two trolleys and one patrol car, Brookins said. The new compressor will allow vehicles to fuel in about the same time that it takes for a vehicle to be filled at an unleaded gas pump.

The compressor will augment the city's current slow-fill compressor, installed in 2009, that can serve 14 vehicles simultaneously. The slow-fill compressor requires vehicles to be hooked up for several hours.

The fast-fuel and slow-fuel compressors will provide a "redundancy" of fueling options, which means one of the compressors can be used if the other fails, Brookins said. Each of the compressors will have separate power sources.

Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging and UGI join forces for natural gas vehicles

January 3, 2012. The Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging (CCAAA) Inc. and UGI Utilities Inc. have joined forces on a project that promotes the benefits of “economical, environmentally friendly” natural gas powered vehicles in Pennsylvania, an all-American transportation fuel alternative to expensive gasoline and diesel costs.

CCAAA is in the process of converting its fleet of 11 cargo vans – used for daily Meals-on-Wheels food deliveries to senior citizens – to operate on compressed natural gas (CNG).

UGI is providing CNG for the vehicles through a fueling station, manufactured by GreenLine Fuels, at CCAAA’s Meal Production and Distribution Facility on Technology Drive.

“Converting our Meals-on-Wheels van fleet to compressed natural gas is a great project that will benefit not only our own organization and the people we serve, but could also be the catalyst to start the growth of a new type of infrastructure and service system for our area,’’ said John Kordish, executive director of CCAAA.

“It would not have been made possible without the encouragement of Lou Stubbs from UGI early in our endeavor.’’

Stubbs, UGI new business representative, added, “I contacted Dave Osterhout (Facilities and Vehicle Manager) and asked him to think about converting their vehicles to natural gas. Fortunately, working together, we were able to get it done.’’

Osterhout said, to date, two of the agency’s 11 cargo vans have been converted to bi-fuel powered (equipped with two fueling systems and tanks that hold unleaded gasoline and CNG). Fuel savings are expected to total $2.500 per year and should increase as more vans are converted to operate solely on CNG. The agency hopes to have the entire fleet converted to CNG operation within a year.

Kanawha County Commission to switch to natural gas vehicles

January 2, 2012. The Kanawha County Commission (West Virginia) will discuss spending $50.000 on a study of the conversion of gasoline engines in county vehicles to natural gas.

The funds could be allocated to Kanawha Converts, a consortium of agencies that will be made up of the Kanawha County Commission, the Charleston Area Alliance and Bridgemont Community and Technical College in Montgomery. Other private and public agencies will be invited to join the consortium in the future.

Commission President Kent Carper said the money would be used to consider a variety of aspects of converting vehicles to use natural gas. One aspect is infrastructure. For example, how many natural gas filling stations would be needed in the county?

This is not a new idea, Carper said. Former Gov. Bob Wise explored the issue when he was a congressman more than two decades ago, Carper said.

This time the catalyst is job creation. Carper said people would be needed to both convert and maintain the vehicles. The private sector would benefit because companies would have to supply parts for vehicles that burn natural gas.

The study also would focus on the cost of converting large fleets. The county could convert ambulances, buses and other publicly owned automobiles. “I could see the county switching to natural gas automobiles,” he said. “This is being done all over the country right now, and the only difference with West Virginia is the natural gas is here below our feet.”

Randy's Environmental Services to purchase natural gas garbage trucks

December 30, 2011. At least four Twin Cities-area garbage haulers, led by Randy's Environmental Services of Delano (Minnesota), are trading in diesel-powered trucks for new ones that run on compressed natural gas (CNG).

"It makes sense," said Jim Wollschlager, director of operations for Randy's, a suburban operator that in October became the first waste hauler in Minnesota to run CNG vehicles.

Trash trucks typically drive 100 or more miles a day, and the heavy, hydraulics-laden vehicles get less than 3 miles per gallon, regardless of the fuel.

Across the country, renewed interest in natural gas as a motor fuel is coming from trash haulers, transit agencies and local delivery services. These vehicles typically return to a base each night where they can be plugged into a CNG filling station, experts say.

"You think of a garbage truck -- they go in a circle and they use a lot of fuel," said Graham Mattison, a Boston-based analyst for Lazard Capital Markets who sees momentum for the industry because new drilling techniques are reaping bountiful, low-cost natural gas.

In the Twin Cities area, Dick's Sanitation of Lakeville, Waste Management's Blaine operation and Ace Sanitation of Ramsey also say they are acquiring CNG trucks that will be on the road next year. Each hauler is investing in a refilling station, which can cost more than $1 million, and all have plans to acquire more CNG trucks as older diesel equipment is retired.

"We really like the fact that natural gas is a domestic fuel and it is something we can do to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," said Wollschlager, who added that the trucks also run far quieter than diesels.

Wisconsin Kenworth Natural Gas Summit offers latest green information to more than 200 customers

December 29, 2011. Natural gas continues to be a focus of truck operators as more than 200 Wisconsin Kenworth customers recently gathered to learn more about new available equipment and the future of natural gas in the industry.

The Wisconsin Kenworth NatGas Summit, held recently at the Glacier Canyon Conference Center, featured four sessions that covered topics such as the state and federally-funded Clean Cities programs to help fleets adopt new technology using alternative and renewable fuels. The sessions covered compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine technology and fueling infrastructure. The sessions also gave customers opportunities to inspect two CNG-powered Kenworth T440s.

Andy Douglas, national sales manager for Kenworth Truck Company, led the summit with a keynote address on the different considerations and spec’ing choices fleets and truck operators must make before adopting natural gas as an alternative fuel. Douglas also provided information about the growth of natural gas fueling stations along well-traveled transportation routes in the United States and Canada.

Another key speaker was Bill Boyce, east regional manager for Cummins. Boyce provided details on Cummins Westport and its ISL G natural gas-powered engine, including gearing guidelines, warranty and extended coverage. Kelly Mills, western territory sales manager for Westport Fuel Systems Inc., talked about the Westport HD 15-liter engine, including safety and warranty information, and the value proposition for LNG-powered trucks.

During the breakout sessions, truck operators learned more about an alternative fuel program adopted by La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip from Chad Hollett, Kwik Trip’s director of transportation and distribution, and Ruanna Hayes, director of alternative fuels for the convenience store operator. Bryan Nudelbacher, business analyst with Appleton, Wis.-based U.S. Oil, provided information about CNG programs within the wholesale fuel distributor’s operation and the future of CNG infrastructure. Lorrie Lisek, executive director of Wisconsin Clean Cities – Southeast Area, gave a presentation on various programs and projects that the Wisconsin Clean Cities coalition is funding throughout Wisconsin. She also explained how to use a fuel station locator tool available from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center.

Emerald Coast Utilities Authority to purchase 50 new natural gas trucks

December 28, 2011. Emerald Coast Utilities Authority in Florida (ECUA) is purchasing 50 new compressed natural gas (CNG) trash trucks and partnering with Energy Service of Pensacola (ESP) to provide fuel to run them.

As part of the 10-year agreement, ESP will construct a fast-fill CNG station on ECUA property located at 3050 Godwin Lane, with station access on Pine Forest Road.

“Design and permitting will begin immediately, and construction is expected to be completed in July 2012. ESP will provide CNG to the ECUA at a fee based on the New York commodity rate. ESP will operate and maintain the station, which will be open to the public and third-party fleets,” Steve Sorrell, ECUA Executive director, said.

Sorrell said ECUA is projecting an annual maintenance cost savings in excess of $350.000 and over $1 million in annual fuel costs.

“While there are up-front capital costs in buying or converting to a natural gas fleet, the fuel costs are considerably lower, making NGVs much more affordable over the long run,” he said.

ECUA ordered the 50 new CNG-fueled refuse collection trucks in November with delivery expected in July 2012.

Apache Corporation gives two natural gas vans to Tulsa Transit’s Lift Program

December 27, 2011. Two new compressed natural gas vehicles were donated by Apache Corporation to Tulsa Transit's Lift Program. With a total value of $106.000, the MV-1s are the first factory-built and -assembled paratransit vans that meet standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

They will replace two of the older vans in the 46-vehicle Lift Program fleet, which is being converted from diesel to CNG using federal stimulus money.

Debbie Ruggles, director of Paratransit Services for the Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority, said the door-to-door program is a "life-giving service" for the area's disabled residents. "It gives them the opportunity to go to work, to go to school, to go grocery shopping - all of the things all of us enjoy," she said, adding that the new vans are appreciated and will be put to good use.

Tulsa Transit received $12.2 million through two grants in 2009 to begin switching its fleet to CNG-powered vehicles. Fifteen of the agency's 60 long, fixed-route buses were replaced earlier this year with new vehicles that run on compressed natural gas. Tulsa Transit recently opened its first CNG fueling station at its headquarters.

Tulsa Transit pays about $2.50 per gallon for untaxed diesel, while the CNG equivalent costs less than half that - providing for major savings.

Most of the fuel that will power the new vehicles is produced in Oklahoma, said Rob Johnston, a spokesman for Houston-based Apache. "Compressed natural gas has a lot of advantages: It's cleaner; it's more abundant and much cheaper," he said.

Upper St. Clair tests out a Honda Civic powered by compressed natural gas

December 27, 2011. Some Upper St. Clair (Pennsylvania) township leaders recently got to test out a natural gas vehicle. The car loan was part of Upper St. Clair's grant from The Heinz Endowment to determine the feasibility of making its municipal fleet greener. Upper St. Clair applied for the grant with Peters Township and North Strabane.

Ron Sarrick, Upper St. Clair Public Works' buildings/grounds and sustainability administrator, spent a good amount of time in the Honda Civic Natural Gas last week.

"It was just a loan to get a sense of how it performs. I find it accelerates well and gets you to where you need to go. If you didn't know it was a compressed natural gas vehicle, you wouldn't have known the difference," he said.

The only downfall Sarrick noticed was the lack of trunk space due to the increased size of the fuel cells. However, he thinks the car would still work out well for township administrators.

The study to determine the feasibility of converting the existing municipal vehicle fleets to alternative fuels, including clean burning natural gas, is going on right now. It's expected to be completed in March or April.

Sarrick said he and township officials are concerned about sustainability, the environment and the rising gas prices. He thinks natural gas vehicles could benefit Upper St. Clair, especially since it only cost him $12.88 to fill up the empty gas tank.

Natural gas options available for transportation in Arkansas

December 23, 2011. An interesting concept of converting transportation fuel needs to natural gas arose at the Rotary Luncheon as renewable energy manager for the Arkansas Energy Office J.D Lowery provided a breakdown of the conversion.

“Natural gas powers more than 100.000 vehicles in the United States and roughly about 11.2 million vehicles worldwide,” said Lowery. “Natural gas vehicles are a good choice for high-mileage fleets such as buses and taxis that are centrally fueled or operate within a limited area. The advantages of natural gas as an alternative fuel includes its domestic availability, widespread distribution infrastructure, low cost compared with gasoline and clean burning qualities."

According to Lowery natural gas is an odorless, nontoxic gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons-predominately methane (CH4). Lowery explained that because it is a gas it must be stored onboard a vehicle in either a compressed gaseous or liquefied state.

"Compressed Natural Gas and liquefied natural gas helps us to be more efficiently green and less dependent on oil," continued Lowery. Much like the gasoline that is stored in tanks, LNG is super cooled and then stored in special insulated tanks.

WVU engine emission experts help Ralphs redefine green grocer

December 20, 2011. West Virginia University engine emission experts are in California helping part of one of America's largest grocery store chains convert its delivery trucks into greener energy consumers.

Ralphs Supermarkets, a California centered division of The Kroger Co., wanted to pursue a greener energy footprint by using cleaner fuels and engines to power an extensive fleet of delivery vehicles that dot the highways from Los Angeles’ freeways to the country roads of the California mountains.

The company is currently transitioning half of its truck fleet to less polluting compressed natural gas (CNG). Ralphs leadership looked to WVU’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions (CAFEE) to help turn those green plans into green reality.

“Ralphs has been a great research partner for many years,” Dan Carder, CAFEE director said. “The company’s commitment to improving fuel economy among its fleet of vehicles is unparalleled – and its generous lending of its Riverside distribution center, an ideal location for our type of research, helps our engineers and scientists tremendously.”

With a cross-country road trip from Morgantown to Riverside, CA – and having become the first university-based research team to measure heavy-duty emissions compliance for 2.500 consecutive miles – CAFEE scientists were anxious to tackle the Ralph’s Grocery challenge and put some of the results of their trans-continental experiments to good use.

The five-day research trip included a stop at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Denver. It was sponsored by the South Coast California Air Quality Management District, the California Air Resources Board, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Muskegon Area Transit System placed natural gas buses into service

December 20, 2011. The Muskegon Area Transit System (MATS) placed three new heavy-duty compressed natural gas (CNG) buses into service the week of December 12, 2011, continuing their commitment to the environment by purchasing and using CNG vehicles whenever possible.

“MATS has been using natural gas in its seasonal trolley vehicles and small buses for nearly 10 years now,” said Transit Manager Jim Koens, “but these will be the first heavy-duty CNG buses in our fleet. Compressed natural gas burns cleanly, is produced domestically, and is more cost-effective than diesel fuel at this time.”

The new, 32-passenger buses were built by Gillig Corporation in Hayward, California and are comparable to the buses that MATS has deployed in recent years. The buses feature a lowered floor and front-door entrance ramp to accommodate wheelchairs and mobility-impaired passengers. A voice annunciation system on board the vehicles allows people with visual impairments to know when the bus reaches key points along the route. The buses are also air conditioned and outfitted with additional systems to make public transportation a more comfortable experience.

Older, diesel-powered buses in the MATS fleet had come to the end of their useful life and were phased out in favor of the new CNG buses. One more CNG-powered bus will join the MATS fleet this in summer 2012.

The buses will be placed in a rotation and operate throughout the MATS route and service areas.

Lawrence City interested in switching to natural gas vehicles

December 19, 2011. At a luncheon hosted by Black Hills Energy, the Lawrence city’s natural gas utility in Kansas, city commissioners were told that compressed natural gas currently is selling for about 40 percent less than a gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel.

“There is a high level of interest in compressed natural gas right now from cities and other operators of vehicle fleets,” said Tim Hess, manager of Black Hills’ gas marketing program.

Count Lawrence City Hall among those interested. The city already has confirmed that it plans to convert one standard pickup in its Public Works Department to a natural gas vehicle in 2012 to test the technology.

City Commissioner Bob Schumm said he wanted the city to be open to an even larger test of the alternative fuel source. Schumm said the city should have serious discussions with the city of Kansas City, Mo., which has more than 200 compressed-natural-gas vehicles in its fleet. “If the information we get from them looks good, I think we should proceed with buying one new trash truck and see how it really works for us,” Schumm said.

At the meeting, leaders with Black Hills Energy said they were ready to work with the city on a pilot project. Black Hills has a compressed natural gas fueling station at its east Lawrence operations facility. The fueling station is not open to the public, but Black Hills officials said they were willing to open the facility to the city and other organizations that want to test the feasibility of compressed-natural-gas vehicles.

Scott Zaremba, an owner of the Lawrence-based Zarco convenience store chain, has filed plans at City Hall to build a retail compressed natural gas fueling station as part of a remodeling of his convenience store properties at Ninth and Iowa streets.

New trash truck to run on compressed natural gas for Linwood

December 16, 2011. As part of the city’s ongoing effort to become more environmentally friendly, the Public Works Department recently ordered a trash truck that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG) to replace an older vehicle.

The price of the truck was $222.231, according to public works superintendent Hank Kolakowski. Of that, $33.442 was for the compressed natural gas component, which was entirely funded through a grant from the New Jersey Clean City Coalition. Typical diesel trucks cost approximately $188.000.

The department wanted a new trash truck to replace one in its fleet of four vehicles, he said, but the grant enabled the department to make a more environmentally friendly purchase. City Council approved acceptance of the grant on Nov. 22.

“The city has been working toward becoming more green, and this was the last big-ticket item on the list – to purchase a vehicle,” he said. “This is a big step for us. We are trying to get to gold certification,” he added, referring to the Sustainable Jersey program, an environmental certification program for municipalities.

“CNG is clean burning,” he said, comparing the new fuel system to traditional diesel. “There is no carbon produced, which means less maintenance. CNG vehicles are quieter and cleaner. “I did my homework and talked to people who had these trucks, and everyone had great things to say about them,” he said, noting that compress natural gas prices are “much lower,” averaging $1.50 less per gallon.

The truck will use the Atlantic County Utilities Authority refueling station on Delilah Road. Delivery is scheduled for this spring, Kolakowski said.

Truck operators discussed the future of natural gas fuel in Indianapolis

December 15, 2011. More than 350 truck and fleet operators learned about new available equipment and the future of natural gas fuel in the trucking industry at a show held by Kenworth of Indianapolis / Palmer Trucks at the Indiana State Fair Grounds.

The annual show, held Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at the Marsh Blue Ribbon Pavilion, drew a record number of industry suppliers — 88, and featured free training sessions on grant writing, maintenance and the new federal braking requirements.

“Truck operators and their technicians got a lot of great information about spec’ing choices, maintenance and grant assistance to help make the new technology more affordable,” said Jacob Nichols, general manager of Kenworth of Indianapolis. “Plus, they got a unique opportunity not only to look at, but also ride and drive several Kenworth diesel-electric hybrid and CNG-powered trucks.

“A seven-person panel discussion provided information and opinions on the growth and future of natural gas in heavy duty trucks and the transportation industry,” Nichols said. “Participants learned how the rising cost of diesel and the increasing availability of domestic gas reserves is helping to build momentum for the adoption of natural gas-powered vehicles.”

Kelli Walsh, executive director of Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition, discussed efforts by her organization and others to secure more state and federal funds to help truck operators adopt alternative fueled vehicles. Walsh has helped companies and government agencies attain more than $14 million in federal and state aid to implement alternative fuels projects.

Andy Douglas, Kenworth Truck Company’s national sales manager for specialty markets, offered information on the different considerations and spec’ing choices fleets and truck operators must make before adopting natural gas as an alternative fuel.

Brian Houston, a business development manager for Clean Energy, the nation’s largest builder and operator of natural gas fueling stations, discussed recent efforts by his company and the industry to open more fueling stations on the East and West coasts as well as along major travel corridors.

City of Gulf Breeze to build a compressed natural gas filling station

December 13, 2011. The City of Gulf Breeze (Florida) is planning to build a compressed natural gas filling station at the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce to fuel its own fleet of natural gas service vehicles and to provide the cheaper and cleaner fuel to the public. The station is expected to be up and running by May, said Vernon Prather, the city's director of public service.

On Wednesday, the City Council in its executive session will select a contractor to install the station and at its regular meeting the following Monday will cast a final vote on its selection.

City staff is recommending Dallas-based ZeitEnergy based on meeting a combination of criteria: best qualifications, experience and price. The company is the second lowest bidder at $734.972. The lowest bidder is Ruston, La.-based Hunt-Guillot & Associates at $698.144. Prather said Zeit has more experience than Hunt.

The natural gas fueling station is one of the alternative plans the Federal Emergency Management Agency is allowing the city to pursue with the Hurricane Ivan recovery money from 2004 instead of replacing the city's fishing pier that was damaged by the storm.

Council will eventually vote on the price per gallon it wants Gulf Breeze Natural Gas to charge customers. Prather believes that price will be somewhere around $1.50 a gallon.

"Everyone wants to be free of foreign oil," Prather said. "But how does the average person do that? A compressed natural gas vehicle is one way, or riding a bike or walking."

Gulf Breeze is mirroring the City of Pensacola and the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, both of which are also converting their vehicle fleets to compressed natural gas. Gulf Breeze is buying three natural gas-powered Chevrolet vans at $35.000 each, about $10.000 higher than a gasoline-powered van, Prather said. He expects to make up the cost difference in less than three years, thanks to the fuel and maintenance savings.

New Energy Master Plan explores ways to deploy infrastructure for alternative vehicles in New Jersey

December 13, 2011. The New Jersey state should explore the possibility of establishing a transportation infrastructure bank to support the increased use of alternatively fueled vehicles, according to the latest version of the Energy Master Plan.

While providing few details on how such a proposal would work, the recommendation is being welcomed by various clean energy advocates. Some of them have been frustrated by the slow pace of developing an infrastructure in New Jersey that would spur people to choose cleaner-running vehicles over those powered by gasoline or diesel.

The final plan unveiled by the administration talks quite a bit about alternatively fueled vehicles, suggesting that the state encourage owners of fleets of vehicles that are now powered by diesel to convert to natural gas, which would reduce emissions that contribute to air pollution while saving money on fuel costs over the long run.

While the state's draft energy plan mentioned alternatively fueled vehicles, its recommendations to move in that direction needed to be broadened and deepened, according to a working group that assessed the opportunities of switching to a variety of alternatives, including electricity, natural gas, propane, and biodiesel.

The working group's report recommended the state explore ways to develop more refueling stations for alternative fuels, either by establishing a revolving loan fund or by leveraging private capital.

The transportation infrastructure bank apparently would try to fill that need. It would be modeled somewhat along the line of an environmental infrastructure fund, which helps local governments finance upgrades to sewage treatment plants through low-interest loans floated by a revolving loan fund.

In New Jersey, the energy master plan suggests a "sensible first step" to spurring the development of fleets of alternatively fueled vehicles is to promulgate incentives to induce certain types of fleets -- such as waste haulers and package and beverage delivery services operating in a comparatively small radius in urban areas -- to switch from diesel fuel to CNG.

The plan also recommends that New Jersey evaluate what infrastructure changes regarding slow- and fast-filling stations, fleet availability, and maintenance and labor are required to retrofit existing vehicles in order to accelerate the substitution of natural gas for oil.

Aliso Viejo netted a new mayor and approved to establish a compressed natural gas facility

December 12, 2011. During its annual reorganization, the Aliso Viejo (California) council voted 4-1 in favor of Mayor Pro Tem Don Garcia serving as the city's mayor in 2012, and 4-1 in favor of current Councilman Bill Phillips serving as the city’s mayor pro tem in 2012. Their terms begin January.1.

The City Council gave the go ahead to the Capistrano Unified School District’s plan to establish a natural gas facility in the city. The project calls for the installation and operation of compressed natural gas (CNG) facility for 20 buses at the district’s transportation center in the city at 2B liberty, just near the corner of Liberty and Aliso Viejo Parkway. The City Council approved a conditional use permit for the project unanimously.

Blue Diamond Disposal introduced natural gas powered trucks to help clear New Jersey's air

December 9, 2011. The Mount Arlington-based garbage and recycling collection company, Blue Diamond Disposal, celebrated the introduction of natural gas powered trucks into its fleet, as well as the opening of its natural gas refueling station, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on company grounds. The ceremony drew more than 100 guests, including dignitaries from municipal governments and state and national agencies.

Since June, Blue Diamond has acquired 14 dump trucks -- with three more on the way -- that run on tanks of compressed natural gas, an odorless mixture of methane and other hydrocarbons that produces fewer harmful emissions than diesel fuel. The company's fleet totals 100 trucks at its two sites, in Mount Arlington and Woodbine in Cape May County.

"We're looking to get off foreign oil dependency," said John Shortino Jr., president of Blue Diamond.

Consistently high gasoline prices -- and pressure to comply with Environmental Protection Agency standards -- led Blue Diamond to pursue a natural gas option, Shortino said. In 2010, Blue Diamond's management team met with members of the Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and New Jersey Natural Gas to assess the potential cost benefits of using compressed natural gas. Clean Energy Fuels provided Blue Diamond with a test natural gas vehicle, which operators found produced fewer emissions and required lower maintenance and repair costs. The success of the pilot program, coupled with natural gas's abundance and its low cost compared to gasoline, led the company to pursue natural gas, Shortino said.

Blue Diamond applied for and received a $500.000 federal Department of Energy grant, administered by the nonprofit New Jersey Clean Cities Coalition, to help defray the cost of purchasing natural gas-powered vehicles. After assessing the infrastructure requirements for a large-scale natural gas refueling station, Blue Diamond awarded Clean Energy Fuels the contract to build the station, which is the first of its kind in Morris County. New Jersey Natural Gas provided a four-inch natural gas service line from its main distribution line to deliver the gas to the station.

The use of compressed natural gas can cut fuel costs by 30 to 50 percent, explained William Wells, a consultant with New Jersey Natural Gas. At the same time, converting from diesel to natural gas results in a 20 to 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and natural gas vehicles produce no solid airborne particulate waste, he said.

Blue Diamond plans to convert half of its Morris County-based fleet to natural gas by mid-2012, with the long-term goal of converting the entire fleet to the alternative fuel.

Glendale to purchase natural gas vehicles for some city workers

December 8, 2011. Glendale, a city in Los Angeles County, California, has received $300.000 from an air pollution control agency to purchase 10 new natural gas-powered vehicles for the Public Works Department.

The natural-gas vehicles emit less toxins and particulates into the air than their diesel and unleaded gasoline counterparts, according to a city report. The Public Works Department is in the process of replacing a significant portion of its diesel and unleaded gasoline fleet.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District grant will help Glendale follow up with a sweeping policy that calls for the reduction of greenhouse gases created by city activities. The plan was recently approved by the City Council.

It is more expensive to fuel natural gas powered vehicles, but the Air Quality Management District rules ban the purchase of new diesel powered vehicles by the city for trash collection or street-cleaning purposes, the report stated.

Pike County studies the possibilities of utilizing natural gas for vehicles

December 7, 2011. Representatives from Korean company Nevico (Natural Energy Vehicle Infrastructure) met with Pike County (Kentucky) Judge-Executive Wayne T. Rutherford, Rep. W. Keith Hall and Pike County Energy and Community Development Director Charles Carlton about the possibilities of utilizing natural gas for vehicles.

Since Pike County produces 53 percent of all natural gas in Kentucky and is the No. 1 coal-producing county in the state, Nevico came to Pike County wanting to do business.

“We are blessed to have all this energy,” Rutherford said. “Pike County contributes to the quality of like all over, not just here in central Appalachia. Our export market is strong and we help power America. Our main objective is to create jobs in Pike County based around our energy resources and the mining of coal and production of natural gas and remain environmentally friendly.”

Carlton says the attention being garnered by the county from business locally, nationally and globally has kept him on his toes. “I stay busy with all the visitors we get from around the country and around the world,” he said. “In just two weeks we have had visitors from Guam, South America, Nevada and Korea. We are evaluating each presentation we get to see if it is cohesive with our comprehensive energy plan.”

Jason Cho, CEO and President of Nevico, plans to appear before the energy committee of the Kentucky General Assembly in January 2012. Rep. Hall is chair of that committee.

OnCue Express to add compressed natural gas stations in Del City, Stillwater and Enid

December 6, 2011. OnCue Express is poised to become the largest operator of compressed natural gas fueling stations in Oklahoma. The Stillwater-based convenience store operator on Monday announced plans to open CNG fueling stations at existing locations in Del City, Stillwater and Enid. That will give OnCue a total of 13 CNG fueling stations around the state.

“As a local company, we are proud to support Oklahoma's natural gas industry by opening new CNG fueling stations in the state,” CEO Jim Griffith said. “The economic and environmental benefits of natural gas as a transportation fuel are well documented and our company believes that increasing CNG accessibility is the right thing to do for our customers and our country.

“We hope the addition of more CNG stations will continue to increase demand for this domestic fuel.”

Fuel retailers, including Love's Country Stores Inc., have announced plans to open more than 15 new CNG fueling stations in 2011, with many to be placed near major state and interstate highways. By the end of 2012, Oklahoma is expected to have more than 70 publicly accessible fueling stations.

“CNG is an affordable, clean-burning fuel, and more price stable than gasoline; OnCue Express' CNG price has remained at $1.39 for the last 18 months while unleaded prices have fluctuated between $3 and $4 per gallon,” Griffith said. “This substantial price difference has incentivized businesses, schools, cities and individuals to convert their vehicles to CNG.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin last month announced a plan to increase the number of CNG vehicles on Oklahoma roads. She partnered with governors from three other energy-producing states to build enough demand for such vehicles to spur automakers to speed their development.

“Each new CNG fueling station in Oklahoma represents an endorsement for using one of our most treasured natural resources in Oklahoma — natural gas — to meet our domestic energy needs,” Oklahoma Secretary of Energy Michael Ming said. “We are fortunate several Oklahoma fuel retailers embraced using natural gas as a transportation fuel so quickly.

Los Angeles rolls out clean natural gas bus fleet

December 1, 2011. Ninety-five Commuter Express vehicles will run on compressed natural gas and provide commuters with adjustable seats and climate control.

The majority of city buses are well past their 12-year life spans, officials said, and at least one bus has traveled 1.2 million miles since 1985.

The new $67-million fleet of buses will run on compressed natural gas, as opposed to diesel, and offer 49 seats instead of 43. They will also provide easier wheelchair access and more space for bicycles, officials said.

"By phasing out older diesel buses for new CNG buses, Los Angeles is once again demonstrating its commitment to greening and strengthening our public transit system for the benefit of the entire region," said City Councilwoman Jan Perry, who is running for mayor.

More than 70% of the funding for the buses came from federal grants, and officials said the rest would be paid through local transportation funds.

The majority of Commuter Express riders have been riding for more than two years, officials said.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issues technical guidance on natural gas vehicle conversion systems

December 2, 2011. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued technical guidance clarifying that natural gas conversions are authorized under the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program.

New passenger car or light-duty truck conversion systems certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the California Resources Air Board may be installed on vehicles in Pennsylvania.

"Using affordable domestic natural gas for transportation fuel will help clean our air while reducing our reliance on foreign oil," DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. "This opportunity is here, and we need to jump on it. This is a big step in the right direction because it makes clear that the state's new vehicle emissions program allows for certification under either standard."

Used as a transportation fuel, natural gas emits fewer pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxide, compared with traditional fuels, such as diesel and gasoline. Based on current fuel prices, natural gas would provide cost savings to drivers.

The technical guidance document, to be published in the Dec. 3 Pennsylvania Bulletin, was among the recommendations the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission made to Governor Corbett. It will provide manufacturers, sellers and consumers of passenger cars and light-duty trucks with information about the requirements to ensure that converted vehicles comply with the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles program.

In 2006, the state adopted low-emission vehicle standards based on the California Air Resources Board regulations. DEP is issuing this technical guidance because the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles program did not address alternative fuel conversion systems.

Luzerne County agency plans to switch to compressed natural gas

December 5, 2011. A Luzerne County agency likely will be among the first in Northeastern Pennsylvania to switch to compressed natural gas (CNG) to fuel a fleet of vehicles.

Stanley Strelish, executive director of the Luzerne County Transportation Authority, told the authority board last week that he has been in discussions with UGI Penn Natural Gas about building a compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station in Forty Fort to fuel a fleet of about 60 vans after a transportation agency consolidation takes place in the county next year.

Plans are in the works for the LCTA to consolidate with the Luzerne/Wyoming Counties Transportation Department and Hazleton Public Transit. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is pushing for smaller transit systems to consolidate.

The LCTA runs public bus service in northern Luzerne County, HPT runs public bus service in southern Luzerne County, and L/WCTD provides para-transit service to the elderly, children and youth services, and special-needs persons throughout Luzerne and Wyoming counties.

The L/WCTD has about 60 vans that are in poor shape and will need to be replaced over an approximately eight-year period, Strelish said. After researching the options and discussing it with UGI representatives, Strelish said it makes the most sense to go with CNG vans.

“It’s definitely the way to go. It will present a significant savings to the authority,” Strelish said. “The initial cost of the vehicles may be a little higher, but the long-term savings will be significant.” Strelish also said CNG causes much less wear and tear on an engine than gasoline, so CNG vehicles should last longer than standard gasoline-engine vehicles.

UGI spokesman Joe Swope said a gasoline gallon equivalent (gge) of CNG is about half to two-thirds the cost of gasoline, “a very, very appealing alternative” to gasoline, which is selling now for about $3.30 per gallon.

AGA incoming chairman said natural gas has opportunities and challenges in 2012

December 6, 2011. The American Gas Association (AGA) hosted a media roundtable discussion with Incoming Chairman, Larry Borgard, president and chief operating officer (COO), Utilities, of Integrys Energy Group, Inc. on Friday, December 2, 2011. Alongside AGA President and CEO, Dave McCurdy, Borgard spoke about the challenges and opportunities the natural gas industry faces moving into 2012.

“It is a distinct honor to be named AGA Chairman Elect for 2012,” said Borgard. “It is a remarkable time in our industry, as the profile of natural gas as a clean-burning, domestic fuel has been raised in the public’s mind over the past few years. Thanks to the abundance of natural gas being produced from shale, both the natural gas supply picture and subsequent natural gas price outlook are very positive, which translates to lower and more stable monthly customer bills.”

The natural gas industry has never before had the tremendous opportunities that it has today, and the key is to prepare for them and be ready to take full advantage of them, leading to continued benefits for customers and those investing in and working in the industry. Borgard’s chairman theme for 2012 captures that thought perfectly: “Creating a Future-Ready Natural Gas Industry Today.”

“Our industry is poised for tremendous growth, provided we are also prepared to meet the challenges we face,” said Borgard. “First and foremost we need to make sure that our stakeholders have confidence in our industry. Our highest priority is delivering natural gas to our customers safely and reliably. We hope to see Congress reauthorize the Pipeline Safety Act before the end of the year.”

“I believe that natural gas vehicles (NGVs) represent one key area of demand growth for our industry,” continued Borgard. “As a transportation fuel, natural gas is already transforming fleet vehicles, but ultimately natural gas vehicles will be the second car in American garages. Integrys is one of many companies that recognize the benefits of natural gas and is involved in making capital investments in natural gas refueling stations in an effort to expand existing infrastructure.”

Integrys, based in Chicago, IL, is a leading regional energy company with nearly 5.000 employees across the Midwest and beyond. Integrys represents six regulated and non-regulated subsidiaries as they come together as one company with a shared commitment to providing customers with the best value in energy and related services.

SoCalGas to add 1.000 new natural gas powered trucks to customer service fleet

November 29, 2011. Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) plans to add about 1.000 new natural gas-powered trucks to its fleet over the next five years, the utility announced. The trucks are part of the utility's "green" fleet replacement program that will have residential energy service technicians driving the message that natural gas is the fuel of choice for the road.

The utility will purchase new natural gas-powered trucks from original equipment manufacturers as well as custom-built natural gas vehicles through a collaborative effort with local Southern California companies. Currently, SoCalGas has about 1.000 natural gas vehicles in its fleet.

This year, for example, the first of 50 custom-built 2011 Chevrolet Silverado trucks are in use in Southern California. Working with Torrance-based Landi Renzo USA, Royal Truck Bodies and Wondries Fleet Group, the trucks are equipped with Landi Renzo/Baytech compressed natural gas fuel systems that are approved by the California Air Resources Board.

"Natural gas vehicles are a real transportation solution today," said Hal D. Snyder, vice president of customer solutions at SoCalGas. "Natural gas is the ideal fuel for transportation because it's abundant, affordable, clean and produced domestically, and can serve all segments of the transportation industry. As we work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our fleet, we encourage the automakers and after-market companies to produce natural gas vehicles, an effort that will result in significant air quality and cost benefits to customers and the region."

Southern California currently has nearly 300 compressed natural gas fueling stations serving more than 17,000 natural gas-powered vehicles. SoCalGas plans to expand over the next few years all of its 13 company-owned public-access compressed natural gas stations. At its Riverside refueling station, SoCalGas is field testing a new modular compressed natural gas "fueling station in a box" technology that takes 20 percent less space and can be installed faster than traditional facilities with separate components installed on the site, thereby offering the potential to significantly reduce capital cost and construction time.

SoCalGas also is a member of a national collaborative, called "Drive Natural Gas Initiative," made up of North American natural gas utilities and producers focused on advancing natural gas as a fuel for all sectors of transportation, including cars, trucks, buses, and marine and mining equipment.

Menendez, Lautenberg announce $1.5 million for clean fuels in New Jersey

November 29, 2011. US Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded the New Jersey Transit Administration $1.5 million to complete efficiency upgrades to its compressed natural gas filling station in Howell, NJ.

“Natural gas is cheap and can help us create jobs, lower transportations costs, and reduce air pollution. This is why I’ve made it a priority of mine to boost the use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel,” said Senator Menendez. "I am committed to making sure New Jersey commuters have reliable, efficient, and affordable transit options," said Senator Lautenberg, a member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds the FTA. "This grant makes a critical federal investment in clean energy infrastructure that will help lower costs and improve service for workers and families around the state."

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), together with the Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) announced the introduction of the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions (NAT GAS) Act of 2011, legislation that would boost domestic production of vehicles that run on clean natural gas. The bill would be fully paid for by a temporary user fee on natural gas used as a vehicle fuel.

Questar Gas to add two new natural gas fuel stations for vehicles

November 28, 2011. Craig Wagstaff, senior vice president of Questar Gas, said that more natural gas vehicles are coming on the market and more places to fuel them are being built. Questar is even responding to customer demand to open a new public natural gas fueling station in Kaysville because people with natural gas cars in central Davis County were having to drive too far.

Another station is being opened at Weber State University, and Wagstaff said Ogden plans to make its fueling station available to the public in the future after its holding tank is enlarged.

Partially because of controlled costs on gas it drills, by the Utah Public Service Commission, Questar's rates are the lowest in the nation, and that is reflected in the $1.25 per gallon it charges for liquefied natural gas for cars. He said rates should stay stable unless there are supply disruptions or a severe winter.

The problem with natural-gas-fueled cars, Wagstaff said, has always been the classic "chicken and egg" quandary: Nobody will buy cars that use natural gas if they can't fill them up with gas. On the other hand, Questar won't build natural gas fueling stations unless there are customers to use them. That is changing, he said, albeit slowly.

Ogden has been proactive by using natural gas in its 10 garbage trucks and two downtown trolleys. Also, several police cars and city fleet vehicles are gas-powered. This makes Ogden a national leader, he said, and the city has its own fueling station.

With the two new ones, Wagstaff said Questar will have 29 public stations around Utah, and neighboring states' gas companies also have them. "You can literally drive from Logan to Los Angeles in a natural gas vehicle," he said, "so the infrastructure is certainly starting to play out."

Wilsonville SMART transit system adds alternative CNG fuel buses

November 25, 2011. South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART) will be adding a pair of green buses to its fleet this month. The public is invited to attend the unveiling of the two 21-passenger, alternatively fueled buses at 10 a.m. Nov. 30 at the SMART operations building, 8455 S.W. Elligsen Rd.

The new buses run on compressed natural gas (CNG), a fossil fuel alternative to diesel. They are expected to operate quieter than diesel engines with less exhaust fumes.

They cost $105,000 – $15.000 more than the price for diesel buses. However, SMART officials anticipate the savings from maintenance and fuel will make up for the higher price tag.

"Our goal is to achieve cost savings, protect the environment by producing less tailpipe emissions and using a domestic fuel," said Fleet Services Manager Scott Simonton in a press release. "If all of these things fall into place we will be very pleased."

The vehicles, replacing two diesel buses, will be used on a variety of routes including the Crosstown, 6, and 2X. If transit officials notice benefits, they will consider adding more compressed natural gas vehicles to the city's fleet.

The unveiling event will feature a fueling demonstration by Mayor Tim Knapp using the compressed natural gas fueling station. SMART will also offer rides and tours of the new buses

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit gets $2.3 million grant for natural gas fueling station

November 23, 2011. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART), in California, a $2.3 million grant to fund a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station and modifications to an existing HART maintenance facility for vans and buses.

The design and construction would take place in 2012 with the compressed natural gas fueling station scheduled for operation in 2013.

Natural gas costs about 20 to 25 percent less than diesel fuel, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority chief executive Philip Hale said. He said the award was the first step for HART to eventually transform its fleet to compressed natural gas-fueled vehicles, beginning with HART's van pool.

HART's project is one of 46 nationwide to share in $112 million in funding from the Federal Transit Administration's Clean Fuels and Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction grant programs

Jay Leno highlights the sensuality of natural gas vehicles

November 22, 2011. Jay Leno might be best known for his Tonight Show, but he’s also a hot rod, car collector junky.

Recently, Leno featured a natural-gas fueled hot rod on his show “Jay Leno’s Garage” that can drive more than 600 miles on a single tank of natural gas.

“It is amazing to me that we are into this lithium-ion battery thing, and we have something like 600 years of natural gas right here in the United States,” Leno told the car’s designer J.T. Nesbitt.

Nesbitt, who is from New Orleans, said he was inspired to build the car after hearing Leno say he was a fan of natural gas and didn’t understand why it wasn’t considered sexier than it was.

The car, dubbed the Magnolia Special, was completely hand fabricated and uses a 4.2-liter Jaguar engine that was tweaked to run off natural gas.

After finishing the car, Nesbitt drove the car from New York to Los Angeles to show it off to Leno. The 2,500 mile drive had to be perfectly planned by Nesbitt since there are only a handful of natural gas stations in the U.S.

New York State Public Service Commission approved natural gas vehicle pilot program

November 22, 2011. The New York State Public Service Commission, in a move to spur the development of natural gas-powered vehicles in New York State and reduce the state’s reliance on imported gasoline, approved a National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation partnership for natural gas vehicles pilot program.

The Commission opined that development and growth of natural gas-fueled vehicles can play an important role to improve the state’s energy profile, but the economics of these systems may be a barrier to acceptance. This unique pilot program in New York will help demonstrate the economic feasibility and evaluate the impact on the utility infrastructure of the natural gas powered vehicles.

According to National Fuel, the development of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) would enhance the environment and national energy security, as well as benefit the commercial and industrial customers by reducing overall energy costs. Nationally, there are about 112.000 NGVs, mainly trucks. In the United States, about 30 different manufacturers produce 100 models of light, medium and heavy-duty natural gas vehicles and engines. Natural gas costs, on average, onethird less than conventional gasoline, and is produced domestically.

In its petition, National Fuel said that upfront costs to develop a customer-owned NGV project can be substantial. A customer’s refueling station can cost from $100.000 to $1.5 million depending on the type of station (fast fill or time fill) and the number of vehicles in the fleet. The incremental cost of purchasing new NGVs vs. traditional gasoline or diesel vehicles can range from $7.000 to $22.000 per vehicle, depending on the type of vehicle. The program will provide a one-time credit for a refueling station and or the purchase of NGVs. The financial assistance would be recovered through the future sales paid by the customer.

National Fuel said the customer payback to switch to NGVs falls between four and eight years and says the development of the NGV program will make the project economics meet, or come closer to matching, customer expectations. The $3.5 million program was developed by National Fuel, with input provided by truck fleet customers, to encourage the installation of NGV and/or associated facilities. The program will run through March 31, 2015.

Two CNG shuttle vehicles join the fleet at the Eco-Savvy Atlanta Airport Marriott

November 21, 2011. Atlanta Airport Marriott acquired two additional compressed natural gas (CNG) shuttle vehicles for its guest operations as part of the property's participation in the Clean Cities Atlanta Petroleum Reduction Program. Clean Cities Atlanta is a government-industry partnership that works to reduce America's petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. The alternative fuel shuttle buses join the property's existing fleet of two compressed natural gas (CNG) and two fossil fuel vehicles. "We remain committed to reducing our carbon footprint by utilizing renewable natural gas rather than fossil fuel, helping to maintain a clean, safe environment for everyone," stated General Manager Mark Spanka.

"The Clean Cities Atlanta Petroleum Reduction Program was awarded a grant from the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The project is designed to increase the availability of alternative fuels and to increase the use of alternative fuel vehicles and advanced technology vehicles in Metro Atlanta as a means of reducing U.S. dependence on imported petroleum, increasing fuel economy, reducing emissions and improving air quality."

The Atlanta Airport Marriott is exceptionally located in vibrant College Park and within close proximity to the Georgia International Convention Center. Just a half-mile from the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and 18 minutes from downtown Atlanta, planners can host any size event with over 28.000 square-feet of flexible and newly renovated meeting space, including the 9.928 square-foot Grand Ballroom and 27 breakout rooms. Complimentary "green" shuttle service to and from the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is also provided.

Natural gas powered Honda Civic wins Green Car of Year

November 18, 2011. A car powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) prevailed over several other powertrains Thursday when the Honda Civic NG was named Green Car of the Year at the LA Auto Show. Other finalists included the Ford Focus Electric, Toyota Prius V, Volkswagen Passat TDI and Mitsubishi i.

At $26.155, the Civic NG is more expensive than its gasoline counterpart, but CNG costs less than gasoline and burns cleaner.

"There is no other vehicle like the Civic Natural Gas on American highways, and this recognition has been a long time coming for Honda," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com.

The natural gas powered Honda, which looks just like its gasoline-powered sibling, has been around since 1998. But this fifth generation features even better fuel efficiency that its predecessors -- 27 city, 38 highway. The natural gas model can travel about 240 miles on a tank of compressed natural gas, which gives it a greater range than typical all-electric vehicles.

The Civic NG is the only assembly-line produced CNG passenger model for sale in the United States.

The panel that voted on the Green Car of the Year included six environmental and automotive experts and Green Car Journal editors. They were presented with a range of technologies that included natural gas, diesel, electricity and a gasoline-electric hybrid.

"This year's Green Car of the Year finalists underscore that there is no single solution to our transportation challenges," said Cogan. "Virtually every automotive manufacturer is exploring green technology in several forms. The Honda Civic Natural Gas, is a prime example of an alternative fuel that is viable, efficient and practical."

Important natural gas vehicles bill gets support in U.S. Senate

November 17, 2011. An important bill introduced in the U.S. Senate - the NAT GAS Act of 2011 – which would provide increased support for the movement to deploy large numbers of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in the United States, has received the support of a bipartisan group of Senators in a companion bill.

The legislation introduced by Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Richard Burr (R-NC), Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Saxby Chambliss, (R-GA), is similar to the House bill, authored by First District Republican Rep. John Sullivan and Second District Democrat Rep. Dan Boren.

Both bills are based on an effort by billionaire T. Boone Pickens that would increase the number of vehicles powered by compressed natural gas. Sullivan has worked hard to get the support needed in the House. The Senate, however, was thought to be less enthusiastic. Tuesday's action has given the proposal a good chance of passing.

As Reid pointed out Tuesday, and Sullivan has preached relentlessly, this legislation, through tax incentives for the production and purchase of natural gas vehicles, would create jobs, lower fuel costs, reduce pollution and cut the nation's dependence on foreign oil.

Chesapeake CEO calls for U.S. policies to promote natural gas as transportation fuel

November 16, 2011. The head of U.S. producer Chesapeake Energy once again called for industry and government leaders to adopt policies aimed at stimulating demand for natural gas to take advantage of the nation's shale plays.

"There's no reason to believe that a 1% to 2% demand shift in next 10 years is not achievable," Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon told the World Shale Gas Conference in Houston. "The U.S. is in the early stages of a natural gas demand revolution."

McClendon predicted that the demand for gas would increase naturally as the U.S. emerges from its recent recession and industrial demand for the fuel picks up, and as power generators increasingly turn to gas as older, coal-fired plants are retired.

However, McClendon said the U.S. government and industry leaders should do more to promote the use of gas as a highway transportation fuel. He said in this regard, the U.S. trails developing nations such as Pakistan, which has "one of the highest numbers of natural gas vehicles on the road."

McClendon estimated that it would take about $2 billion to build a network of natural gas fueling stations across the U.S. to stimulate the adoption of gas-fired vehicles by owners of commercial vehicle fleets.

In addition, he said he looks forward to a time when the 70% of Americans who have natural gas delivered to their homes can fuel their vehicles in their own garages. He said conversion kits to allow homeowners to fill their natural-gas fueled vehicles could be bought for about $1.000.

McClendon, who owns a vehicle fueled by natural gas, which he said costs the equivalent of about 60 cents per gallon, said such conversion kits would quickly pay for themselves in fuel savings.

In addition, McClendon pointed to a $155 million deal Chesapeake announced July with biodiesel company Sundrop Fuels to develop a "green gasoline," by combine feedstocks of natural gas and biomass. The widespread adoption of such a fuel could help reduce US demand for petroleum products from overseas, he said.

Butler Transit Authority gets $1 million grant for natural gas fueling station

November 15, 2011. Butler Transit Authority has secured a $1 million grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection to build a compressed natural gas (CNG) service station for public and private use on its property at Pullman Center, just outside Lyndora. The CNG facility will open by January 2014, said authority executive director John Paul.

EQT Corp. of Pittsburgh, which operates a CNG fuelling station in the Strip District and is the owner of Equitable Gas, is helping the transit authority with the engineering and design plan at no cost. "EQT sees the need for growing the natural gas infrastructure," Paul said.

The transit authority has pledged to buy four new natural gas-powered 45-foot coach buses and six similarly powered 30-foot buses. The transit authority also is working with the Butler Area Rural Transit to replace 20 shuttle buses with natural gas powered versions. There is no definitive time frame for conversion of the fleets as the vehicles will be replaced through attrition over about a 10-year period, Paul said.

The transit authority operates six buses. Paul estimated that the conversion of the BTA and BART fleets would result in annual fuel cost savings of $80,000 and $130,000, respectively. Once the fleet conversions are complete, the project ultimately would displace about 250.000 gallons of diesel fuel, according to DEP, and reduce 369 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

The $1 million grant to the transit authority is part of $4.4 million in alternative fuels incentive grants for 12 projects across the state. The grants were announced last month. The purpose of the project is to develop natural gas and electric vehicle infrastructure and reduce vehicle emissions.

Magnolia Special Roadster completes cross-country drive fueled by natural gas

November 15, 2011. The Magnolia Special is a handcrafted Roadster powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). J.T. Nesbitt, its designer built this car with the desire to cross the United States from New Orleans to New York, challenge now accomplished with his team-mate Maxwell Materne.

With a range of over 625 Miles on a full tank thanks to its natural gas cylinders placed on the sides, the stops were more depending on the human factor than the vehicle.

No computer has been involved in the construction of the Magnolia, a roadster in the purest style of the 1930s, reduced to the minimum, a steering wheel, four wheels and an engine, but green and economical

While designing the car, Nesbitt prioritized beauty and engineering over creature comforts, perhaps an unorthodox approach for what would be used as a cross-country grand tourer.

The Magnolia Special took him about two years to design and build, he said. The chassis is a boxed steel frame, with a 4.2-liter, inline-6 cylinder engine sourced from a Jaguar XJ6.

"Unlike other CNG-powered cars, this was built to run on the stuff from the very beginning," Nesbitt said. "We’ve been sold this notion that to be green we have to be high tech."

Nesbitt remains unconvinced of the merits of electric cars, which he views as too complicated, expensive and impractical for long drives. "The infrastructure to deliver natural gas is there now," he said.

North County Transit District receives grant for 12 new natural gas buses

November 14, 2011. The North County Transit District, California, announced Thursday that it received a federal grant to help the agency purchase 12 new buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG).

They would replace a dozen older coaches with diesel engines. The agency has a backlog of 30 such older buses it wants to take off the road.

The $4.6 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration requires a 20 percent matching grant from regional Transnet tax revenues to bring the total award up to nearly $5.8 million.

"The impact of this grant goes far beyond our own customers who will actually ride these buses," said Thomas Lichterman, NCTD's chief operations officer. "These new vehicles and the ensuing reduction in harmful pollutants will benefit every single person living and breathing in North County." The CNG buses are also less expensive to maintain, he said.

Lichterman said the agency has an active fleet of 144 buses. Besides the 30 diesel buses, two dozen are powered by unleaded gasoline and 90 by compressed natural gas. The fleet's average age is 7.2 years with an average of 350.000 miles, he said. The new buses should be operational by late next year.

Central Ohio Transit Authority switching to buses that run on natural gas

November 14, 2011. Central Ohio Transit Authority officials say they see little downside in a planned switch to buses that run cheaper, quieter and cleaner on compressed natural gas (CNG).

They plan to buy natural gas-burning buses as early as 2013 — new pumps must be installed first — and they think federal grants will be available to cover much of the cost. The new buses cost more to buy but less to fuel and repair.

"We’ve tested a good number of alternative fuels," said Pat Stephens, COTA’s vice president for operations. "We believe it offers us the best opportunity to be responsible in reducing our fuel costs and to be responsible environmentally."

Most buses now run on ultra-low-sulphur diesel, which has cost COTA an average of $3.10 per gallon this year. An equivalent amount of compressed natural gas costs $1.13.

COTA President and CEO Bill Lhota said the transit authority will continue to test hybrid buses that run on electricity and diesel fuel, but the compressed-natural-gas alternative looks more promising.

Buses that burn compressed natural gas cost $40,000 more each but also require new fuel pumps and changes to maintenance facilities that would total $12.4 million. COTA officials said federal grants designed to steer agencies toward more-environmentally friendly fuels should pay most of that expense, as well.

Buses last about 12 years, so COTA will start buying natural-gas-burning buses as replacements. Stephens said the agency won’t retrofit any of its nearly 300 diesel buses.

Colorado and three other states to buy vehicles running on compressed natural gas

November 10, 2011. Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper said that government purchases of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles will lead the market to create more CNG stations. Hickenlooper and the governors of three other gas-rich states signed a "memorandum of understanding" Wednesday pledging to replace some of their aging gasoline-powered vehicle fleets with those running on compressed natural gas.

According to the memo, Colorado, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Wyoming next will develop a request for proposals that outline the types of vehicles they need and commit to making a bulk purchase.

"In a funny way, this recession has primed us perfectly for this transition," Hickenlooper told energy professionals meeting at the Colorado Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition Workshop in Englewood.

There are only 29 CNG fuelling stations in Colorado — most around Denver — serving about 1.200 vehicles. If 29 stations aren't enough to meet future demand, the market will rise, Hickenlooper said.

"As we begin to build a market that works around this (CNG), our purchases on county, municipal and state levels will help drive consumer demand," he said. "Soon we'll have more stations and infrastructure."

Saddle Creek Corp. invests in natural gas trucks

November 9, 2011. Saddle Creek Corp., a nationwide third-party logistics provider, is investing in alternative fuel vehicles for its for-hire fleet as part of the company's commitment to sustainability. The company has agreed to purchase 40 Freightliner natural gas trucks and plans to add 40 more in early 2012.

While they look like any other truck on the road, Freightliner's Business Class® M2 112 tractors run on compressed natural gas (CNG), one of the cleanest-burning alternative fuel options available with near-zero emissions. Saddle Creek's new tractors will reduce the fleet's carbon footprint by approximately 103,000 pounds per truck each year – the equivalent of planting 85,760 trees.

The natural gas vehicles are also significantly quieter than their diesel counterparts. When idling, the entire fleet of 40 alternative fuel tractors will produce the same decibel level as just four diesel trucks – a substantial noise reduction.

"This is a significant day for us at Saddle Creek. We take pride in running our fleet efficiently and in being responsible corporate citizens," said Mike DelBovo, president, Saddle Creek Transportation. "Because the cost of natural gas is less volatile than diesel, it allows us to have more control over our fuel costs and our customers to have a more stable fuel surcharge. Using this alternative fuel also reduces our dependence on foreign oil and puts cleaner, more environmentally friendly trucks on the road."

Saddle Creek is expected to take delivery of the natural gas trucks by the end of the year and plans to be fully operational in early 2012. The trucks will be based at the 3PL's headquarter campus in Lakeland, Fla., and will handle deliveries throughout the Florida peninsula and southern Georgia.

To provide fuel for the trucks, Saddle Creek is building a CNG fuelling station at the Lakeland campus – the first such facility constructed for a for-hire fleet in Florida. The contract to build and maintain the station has been awarded to Clean Energy, the leading company for CNG site development in the country.

The station is also environmentally friendly. Since CNG is lighter than air, any gas released is immediately absorbed in the atmosphere so none will spill on the ground.

South Jersey Gas to break ground on compressed natural gas fueling station in Glassboro

November 8, 2011. With approvals recently granted by the Glassboro Zoning Board, South Jersey Gas, working with clean transportation industry leader Clean Energy Fuels, will now begin construction of a compressed natural gas fueling station on its property in the borough.

"This marks an exciting development for our company," said Edward J. Graham, South Jersey Gas president and CEO. "The introduction of this station, designed specifically for fleet vehicles, is our first step in the process of expanding a natural gas fueling infrastructure throughout our region."

The facility, which will be located at the corner of Grove and Academy Streets, will serve the company’s fleet vehicles and will also be open to other area fleets. In 2011, SJG will take delivery of 16 natural gas vehicles – a mix of service and utility trucks and construction vans. The company plans to add 15 more vehicles in 2012. In addition, SJG will work with local municipalities interested in converting their vehicles to natural gas.

Construction of the facility is expected to begin in November with completion slated for January 2012. At that time, SJG will host a grand opening event at the site.

"Greater use of compressed natural gas vehicles and a more enhanced fueling infrastructure will lead to significant cost savings for consumers, reduce dependence on foreign oil supplies, and lower greenhouse gas emissions," added Graham.

California Energy Commission awards nearly $5 million to encourage natural gas buses and trucks

November 8, 2011. The California Energy Commission approved funding of $4,963,000 to help bring natural gas-powered shuttle buses and large trucks to California’s highways. The awards, funded from the Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, help to pay the difference between a conventional gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicle and one powered by a cleaner alternative fuel.

The Energy Commission already has awarded nearly $15.5 million to help public and private fleet operators as well as individual consumers afford new alternative-fuelled passenger vehicles and medium- and heavy-duty buses and trucks. The on-road vehicles meet all the emission requirements of the Air Resources Board and are fully warranted by the original equipment manufacturer.

To make the Energy Commission’s buy-down program as efficient and simple as possible, the incentive reservations are awarded in blocks to vehicle manufacturers or their designated dealers. The incentives are passed on to the individual buyers at the point of sale. Applications from manufacturers for the program are considered on a first-come, first-serve basis. The newly approved incentives go to these companies:

• Creative Bus Sales (Chino) is awarded a total of $575,000 in incentives for 33 vehicles manufactured by Champion Bus. Creative Bus Sales will use $15,000 to buy-down 5 natural gas-powered vans of up to 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight, and $560,000 to help purchase 28 natural gas shuttle buses of 14,001 to 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.

• Rotolo Chevrolet (Fontana) is awarded a total of $40,000 in incentives to buy-down 5 natural gas-powered commuter vans of 8,500 to 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight that are manufactured by General Motors.

• Nations Bus Corporation (Inglewood) is awarded a total of $180,000 in incentives for 9 vehicles manufactured by the Diamond Coach Corp. The natural gas-powered vans will be in the 14,001 to 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight range.

• Capacity of Texas, Inc. (Longview, Texas) is awarded $1,280,000 in incentives to help buy-down 40 heavy-duty natural gas-powered trucks in the 26,001 pounds and greater gross vehicle weight range. The company is the original equipment manufacturer of the vehicles.

• TEC of California (Oakland, La Mirada and Fontana) is awarded $1,280,000 in incentives to help buy-down 40 heavy-duty natural gas-powered trucks in the 26,001 pounds and greater gross vehicle weight range. The vehicles are built by Mack Truck.

• Bridgeport Truck Manufacturing (Bridgeport, Texas) is awarded $320,000 in incentives to help buy-down 10 natural gas-powered trucks that they manufacture. The 10 trucks will be in the 26,001 pounds and greater gross vehicle weight range.

• West Coast Bus Sales, Inc. (Oakland) is awarded a total of $380,000 in incentives for 25 vehicles manufactured by Tiffany Coachworks, Perris, California. West Coast Bus Sales will use $80,000 to buy-down 10 natural gas-powered large vans in the range of 8,501 to 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, and $300,000 to help purchase 15 natural gas shuttle buses of 14,001 to 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.

• West Coast Bus Sales, Inc. (Oakland) is awarded $380,000 in incentives to help buy-down 25 vehicles manufactured by Federal Coach. West Coast Bus Sales will use $80,000 to buy-down 10 natural gas-powered vans in the range of 8,501 to 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, and $300,000 to buy-down 15 natural gas shuttle buses in the range of 14,001 to 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.

• Inland Chevrolet (Hemet) is awarded $528,000 in incentives to help buy-down 66 General Motors natural gas-powered vans in the range of 8,501 to 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.

To benefit from the incentives, purchasers must agree to operate the vehicles in California on the alternative fuel at least 90% of the time for three years.

Republican presidential candidate promises to increase gas production and promote its use in vehicles

November 7, 2011. Republican presidential candidate and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman spoke at the University of New Hampshire about taking more control of energy supply in order to make U.S. itself energy secure.

He recalled that fifty years ago, President Eisenhower warned United States should import no more than 20 percent of its oil and today the country imports 60 percent. According to him, every year Americans send $300 billion – half U.S. trade deficit – overseas for oil, to unstable and unfriendly regimes.

In order to reverse this reality Huntsman believes there are three basic steps that need to be taken. First, America must remove the regulatory constraints on the production of domestic energy. Second, the country needs to break oil's monopoly as a transportation fuel, and create a truly level playing field for competing fuels. Third, U.S. needs to build an environment that will incubate the next generation of energy technologies and ensure that America leads the global energy economy in the decades to come.

Relative to the first point, because of fracking and its companion, parallel drilling, the United States has surpassed Russia as the world’s leading producer of natural gas. As president, Huntsman will break down barriers to the continued, safe use of fracking, which could increase America's production of natural gas by 25 percent.

In the case of the second point, Huntsman said the current system of transportation fuels is essentially closed to competition because of gasoline's de facto monopoly for light-duty vehicles and diesel's near-monopoly for heavy-duty vehicles, but he noted that America has more natural gas than Saudi Arabia has oil. However, yet on August 9th, the Obama Administration issued fuel efficiency rules that effectively bar heavy-duty vehicles – which consume 20% of national oil imports – from converting to natural gas. The EPA has also imposed costly rules with respect to converting cars to natural gas, which is cheap, clean and available for refueling in nearly half of American homes. Rolling back these and other similar rules will be an immediate priority of his administration, Republican presidential candidate said.

And finally, number three, Americans must build a new energy future. He said as U.S. takes steps to meet current energy demands, the country must also build an environment that will promote innovation and help foster the next generation of energy technologies.

In this regard, Huntsman recalled that when he was governor of Utah, they made great strides in natural gas. His administration designated a natural gas corridor through the state, and partnered with the private sector to build a network of fueling stations. He even drove a natural gas car.

Waste Pro USA to convert to compressed natural gas fleet

November 4, 2011. Waste Pro USA, Longwood, Fla., has announced it will invest $100 million to transition its fleet of heavy trucks from diesel fuel to compressed natural gas (CNG). The investment also includes construction of fuelling facilities throughout its operating region in the South.

"This move will dramatically reduce emissions in our operating footprint and potentially provide fuelling stations for the cities and counties we serve," says John J. Jennings, president and CEO of Waste Pro USA. "Our future includes a continued commitment to solar powered facilities, residential and commercial recycling, landfill diversion and clean air."

Waste Pro’s investment includes an initial order of 150 collection and recycling trucks and the construction of a multi-million dollar fuelling complex in Fort Pierce, Fla. Waste Pro is partnering with Clean Energy, a provider of natural gas fuel and facilities, to design and construct the Fort Pierce complex.

"Being a privately held company enables Waste Pro to react quickly to our needs and the needs of the communities we serve," Jennings says. "Many of our 115 exclusive municipal customers are excited about this opportunity to play a part in the use of domestic CNG fuel and want to participate with us," he adds.

Waste Pro has already received two CNG trucks at its Metro Atlanta waste collection operation, which is home to American Recycling, a Waste Pro Company. American Recycling operates an automated paper, plastic, cardboard and glass recycling plant that serves one of America’s busiest airport, Atlanta Hartsfield, and thousands of other customers.

Georgia county adds 24 Freightliner M2 112 CNG trucks to fleet

November 3, 2011. Freightliner Trucks announced that DeKalb County, Ga., has ordered 24 Freightliner Business Class M2 112 compressed natural gas trucks for sanitation and maintenance applications. DeKalb County – considered one of the greenest counties in America – will power the new trucks using its methane gas-to-energy process that converts landfill waste to useable natural gas.

By converting the waste to energy, DeKalb County produces enough electricity to run 2.500 homes and will produce enough natural gas to run 600 trucks. To support the gas-to-energy program, DeKalb County also is building two fuelling stations – enhancing the natural gas infrastructure for both passenger cars and trucks.

DeKalb County will take delivery of its new M2 112 CNG trucks in late 2011. "We take environmental responsibility very seriously, and we are very proud of all our green initiatives," says Robert Gordon, fleet service superintendent, DeKalb County fleet management division.

Designed for a broad range of regional haul and vocational applications, the Freightliner M2 112 CNG is powered by the Cummins Westport ISL G 8.9 litre NG engine. Featuring a maintenance-free three-way catalyst and no diesel particulate filter or regeneration required, the ISL G also helps lower overall cost of operations.

Gordon says that in addition to the truck’s environmental benefits, the M2 112’s roomy and comfortable cab, with easily accessible controls, is suited for the three-man routes DeKalb County runs. The 2,500 square-inch windshield provides enhanced visibility, while the truck’s 55-degree wheel cut and set-back front axle adds to manoeuvrability.

Tulsa company touts use of compressed natural gas in vehicles

November 2, 2011. Allie McHughes got a lot of attention when she stopped to gas up at Enid. She gassed up her Ford F250 pickup with compressed natural gas (CNG) at a pump in front of the Oklahoma Natural Gas Service Center at Garland and Garriott.

Several people driving other CNG-powered vehicles questioned McHughes about her truck. Their interest was more than merely idle curiosity.

McHughes’ pickup was decorated with the logo of CNG Oklahoma Auto Sales, the CNG fleet auto repair company she and her fiancé recently opened in Tulsa. The business offers conversions of gasoline-fuelled vehicles to CNG-fuelled vehicles, as well as repairs and sales of the vehicles.

Mike Moody, of Norman, stopped to question McHughes about the equipment CNG Oklahoma will use. Moody, who works for Cisco Energy, oil and gas drilling company out of Plano, Texas, said he drives a 2011 Toyota Tundra as his personal vehicle. He had it converted to CNG. "It’s getting about 20 mpg on CNG," Moody said. McHughes said her F250 gets 19 to 20 mpg, "depending on how fast you’re going."

McHughes is making a trip from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., to promote CNG Oklahoma and to show it’s possible to drive one of the alternative-fuelled vehicles across the country. She also hopes to promote House Resolution 1380, which would, among other provisions, extend tax credits for alternative-fuel vehicles using natural gas.

Love's Travel Stops and Country Stores to add natural gas fueling stations

November 1, 2011. Love's Travel Stops and Country Stores is teaming with Chesapeake Energy Corp. to add compressed natural gas fueling stations at 10 of its existing locations in Oklahoma.

The companies told The Oklahoman construction will begin in December to add CNG to Love's offerings at Interstate 35 and NW 122 in Oklahoma City and nine other state locations.

"We are seeing commercial and consumer interest in CNG continuing to rise," spokeswoman Jenny Love Meyer said. "At Love's, we want to be sure we meet the needs of our diverse customer base by offering a variety of fueling options, which now includes CNG at a growing number of our locations in Oklahoma." Love's began selling CNG at its Kingfisher location in February.

Meyer said the new locations will give Love's a CNG footprint on interstates and in some smaller communities, helping officials gauge the demand for more fueling stations.

The family-owned Oklahoma City Company’s latest additions will push the number of public CNG fueling stations in Oklahoma to more than 50.

Chesapeake, an investment and strategic development partner in the Love's project, has been a vocal advocate of CNG as an alternative fuel. The company is converting its 4,500-vehicle fleet to run on CNG.

"Love's is a tremendous partner with us," said Taylor Shinn, Chesapeake's senior director of corporate development. "They are a category leader in the commercial and leisure travel stop and convenience store industry with a growing national presence."

NGVAmerica announces the winners of the 2011 Natural Gas Vehicle Achievement Awards

November 1, 2011. NGVAmerica and the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation (CVEF), two organizations dedicated to increasing use of natural gas-powered vehicles to improve air quality, lessen dependence on foreign oil and reduce fleet operator costs, have announced the 2011 winners of the prestigious annual NGV Achievement Awards. The awards are given to persons and organizations in recognition of their outstanding contributions in leadership, vision and innovation to the advancement of natural gas as a vehicular fuel.

The 2011 NGV Achievement Award winners are:

Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, TX, for achieving the milestone of deploying their 1.000th natural gas-powered truck, for their advancement of natural gas vehicle (NGV) and fueling technology, and for their national advocacy of pro-NGV policies and programs.
Ryder System, Inc., headquartered in Miami, FL, for the inauguration of a $38.7 million dollar joint public/private industry partnership project that has created the first large-scale, heavy-duty natural gas truck rental and leasing program in the country.
Giant Eagle Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA, for opening its first two CNG (compressed natural gas) fueling stations, one that is available for consumer use, and the other for use by the company’s fleet of delivery trucks.
EQT, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, for its leadership in facilitating the development of public access CNG fueling stations and adoption of NGVs in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Enviro Express Natural Gas, LLC of Bridgeport, CT for opening the first LNG/CNG (liquefied natural gas/compressed natural gas) vehicle fueling station east of the Mississippi.
Happy Cab Company from Omaha, NE, for significantly advancing the use of natural gas as a vehicular fuel by committing to convert 50 taxicabs, 25% of their fleet, to CNG.
Heckmann Corporation, headquartered in Coraopolis, PA, for showing leadership among suppliers in the natural gas exploration and production (E&P) sector by placing the single largest order for liquefied natural gas trucks by a U.S. customer.
Atlantic City Jitney Association (ACJA) of Egg Harbor Township, NJ, for replacing 190 of their 13-year old gasoline shuttle buses – 100% of their fleet - with new CNG shuttle buses.

The awards were presented Saturday, October 22 at the Annual NGV Conference-Summit in Fort Worth, TX.

Natural Gas Vehicles: Cheaper, Greener, Energy Independent says NWGA Whitepaper

October 28, 2011. This week the Northwest Gas Association released "Natural Gas Vehicles: Today's Transportation Solution" a whitepaper outlining the opportunities natural gas vehicles (NGVs) provide for energy efficient, clean, safe and reliable transportation.

Along with providing a primer on NGV operations the whitepaper dedicates sections to regional success stories and opportunities to expand NGV adoption, making it an excellent resource for fleet managers, policymakers and transportation enthusiasts.

NGVs are benefiting from natural gas' low prices and domestic abundance, now estimated at over 100 years worth of supply sourced directly from North America. At current prices the cost of natural gas averages 30 percent less than gasoline or diesel making NGVs an attractive alternative to companies seeking to reduce vehicle fleet costs.

Environmentally, the use of natural gas for transportation reduces GHG emissions up to 30 percent compared with conventional transportation fuels. Across most of the world, NGVs' overall carbon footprint is also smaller than that of electric vehicles when factoring in emissions from coal-generated electricity.

A number of NGV projects are already active or being implemented. NWGA member companies currently deploy 162 vehicles fuelled by compressed natural gas, a number that continues to grow. Member Williams Northwest Pipeline intends to convert all of their 1.500 fleet vehicles over the next five to seven years. Other regional NGV adopters include Portland and Sea-Tac Airports, Waste Management, Allied Waste and a number of local and regional transit authorities.

CNG Autocar featured at 2011 Indiana Logistic Summit

October 27, 2011. Autocar, LLC was pleased to be a sponsor for this year's Indiana Logistics Summit held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 12-13. The purpose of the summit was to bring together experts in all modes of transportation, distribution and logistics to discuss issues affecting the transportation industry. On display at the summit was an Autocar Xpeditor fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) which will go into refuse collection service later this year for Republic Services. Jim Johnston, a refuse industry veteran and the president of Autocar, moderated a sessions featuring Kevin Walbridge, executive VP of Republic Services and Jim Tumulty, managing director of Raymond James and Associates.

In his position as executive vice president of operations for Republic, Walbridge endorsed the Autocar brand by announcing the purchase of between 500 to 600 Xpeditor's in 2012 -- many of which will be fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG). In his message, Walbridge asserted the need for America to wean itself off of its foreign oil dependency and utilize our own domestic natural resources, including natural gas. Backing his words with actions, Walbridge is driving an initiative to bring natural gas trucks to the Indianapolis Republic divisions.

Supporting the State of Indiana with sustainability and growth was a recurring theme for many of the summit's presenters. As an example, Autocar patronizes and supports at least 77 suppliers based in Indiana. All three of their vehicle lines -- the Xpeditor, Xpert, and Xspotter -- are assembled in Hagerstown, Indiana. Autocar's proximity to several major suppliers including Allison, Cummins, Hendrickson, and Bendix helps support local economies, and also allows for greater efficiency in manufacturing and the ability to provide service after the sale.

Senators seek to encourage purchases of natural gas buses and trucks

October 26, 2011. A bipartisan group of senators will seek to encourage purchases of natural-gas buses and trucks as part of an upcoming energy plan designed to reduce foreign-oil dependence, a key Democrat said.

Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., part of a 14-member bipartisan group working on the plan, said the idea if implemented would help reduce the amount of oil the United States imports. Conrad said he finds "a lot of merit" in some of the ideas of T. Boone Pickens, a Texas oilman and financier who has pushed natural-gas vehicles as part of his eponymous energy plan.

"He recognizes the fundamental problem that we are sending so much money abroad that could be kept here," Conrad told an energy conference in Arlington. "Clearly if you look at major fleets, bus fleets or truck fleets, to the extent we can put some part of them on natural gas it would be an enormous savings to our economy."

Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, has made reducing oil imports a major part of his platform for boosting the economy. His speech focused on his own separate piece of energy legislation that he said would reduce dependence on foreign energy, develop domestic oil and gas and reduce fossil-fuel emissions.

His own proposal, known as the FUEL Act, would boost offshore oil-and-gas production and provide funding for clean-energy deployment and research. It would also give billions in federal incentives for alternative-fuel development, electric and fuel-efficient vehicles, carbon capture and sequestration, and energy efficiency.

April 19th, 2011 Benton County to use compressed natural gas for all county vehicles
Benton County has a plan to save money. They want to use compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative fuel for all county vehicles. It's cheaper than the gas or diesel fuels they currently use.
Earlier this year, the possibilities of natural gas piqued the interest of Benton County Judge Robert Clinard. He recently got legislation passed that secured funding to help Benton County convert their vehicles from diesel and gasoline to natural gas.
"The Arkansas Energy Department has transferred some funding from bio-fuel over to natural gas conversion," Clinard said.
Gas prices are creeping toward $4 per gallon, but in January of this year, an equivalent amount of CNG was only $1.92.
"Just on the surface, if we could just instantly convert from gas and diesel to natural gas, we spend, just in this county, $500.000 less for fuel," Clinard said. But he said money isn't the only reason natural gas should be our fuel of choice.
"It's a matter of our national economy, if we don't stop spending money on foreign oil and sending money overseas to people that want to kill us, we're going to lose our country," said Clinard.
Clinard said he is confident CNG will replace regular gasoline, at least in Benton County cars. "We need to develop the will to become energy independent. And if this little county, this one Benton County, in 75 counties in Arkansas, is the county to kick this off, then I want it to be our county," said Clinard.

April 18th, 2011 Tyler City Council to purchase a CNG fueling station and two waste trucks
At their regular meeting on Wednesday, April 13, the Tyler City Council unanimously approved the purchase of a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station and two residential solid waste trucks that utilize this fuel.
These purchases are the first phase of a pilot project that will move part of the City of Tyler’s fleet from unleaded and diesel fuel to CNG fuel. If this project is successful, each year the City will add additional vehicles and equipment that operate on CNG under the regularly budgeted vehicle replacement plan.
The initial cost of CNG fuel shows a consistent yearly cost of $2.00 per gallon versus what the City is currently paying, which has recently been as much as $3.26 per gallon for unleaded and $3.44 per gallon for diesel fuel. At the conclusion of the pilot program, the City will be able to obtain an additional 50 cent credit on CNG fuel from the federal government, reducing the cost from $2.00 to $1.50 per gallon.
“This pilot program to start moving the City’s fleet to alternative fuel is just another example of how the City is utilizing innovative and environmentally friendly ways to save money,” said Mayor Barbara Bass.” CNG vehicles have a history being environmentally friendly by utilizing cleaner fuel as well as showing less wear on vehicle engines, creating longer vehicle lifespans.”

April 15th, 2011 Vehicles powered by clean, American natural gas Take the Hill
Flanked on either side by more than a dozen natural gas-powered vehicles, ranging from passenger cars to 18 wheelers, renowned entrepreneur and energy icon T. Boone Pickens urged his fellow Americans and Congressional leaders "to look to America's clean, abundant and affordable natural gas reserves as the key to our energy future."
Pickens was joined by a number of members of Congress, who underscored the importance of natural gas both to their home districts and the country in general. NGVAmerica, which represents the natural gas vehicle industry, sponsored the “Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) Take the Hill”event held on April 13, 2011, which was free and open to the public.
"Every month I report on how much money our country is spending on imported oil," said Pickens. "March tipped the scale as we spent nearly $ 40 billion—$ 922.912 per minute—on imported oil, representing a staggering 72% of our oil needs. We are here today to show the country that we are doing something, and we can do a lot more by getting off OPEC oil and onto cleaner, abundant, American natural gas."
Last year natural gas vehicles displaced more than 350 million gallons of petroleum in the United States, according to Richard Kolodziej, president of NGVAmerica.
"More and more manufacturers are providing natural gas vehicles because their customers are asking for them," said Kolodziej. "When you have companies such as AT&T and Ryder, whose vehicles are on display here today, and many others, you know that these vehicles are proven and reliable. And, most importantly to fleets, their fuel costs are much lower. This is good for jobs, for the environment and for the country."
The event began at 8:00 in the morning and lasted until noon. It was located a few blocks from the Capitol in front of the National Museum of the American Indian (300 block of Maryland Ave., SW, between 3rd St, and Independence Ave., SW).
Vehicles powered by American natural gas came from all over the country and were provided by numerous companies, organizations, and manufacturers, including Ryder System, Inc.; the Vehicle Production Group, Inc.; BAF Technologies; IMPCO Automotive; Westport; General Motors Corp.; Washington Gas; Kenworth; Dillon Transport; Navistar; and others.
Last week, U.S. Representatives John Sullivan (R-OK), Dan Boren (D-OK), John Larson (D-CT), and Kevin Brady (R-TX), who participated in the event, introduced H.R. 1380, the "New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions" (NAT GAS) Act of 2011. The NAT GAS Act was highlighted by President Obama as a bipartisan solution in a recent speech about energy at Georgetown University. The bill jump-starts the use of natural gas fuel in our nation's transportation sector by offering limited tax credits and federal regulatory changes to encourage the production and purchase of natural gas vehicles.
Since its April 6 introduction, the bipartisan legislation has recruited nearly 160 cosponsors from both sides of the political aisle, underscoring the deep and bipartisan support for this American fuel.
Source: NGVAmerica

April 14th, 2011 Chrysler Group to introduce cars running on compressed natural gas by 2017
Chrysler Group, the US-base automotive giant that is controlled by Fiat, wants to introduce cars running on compressed natural gas (CNG) into the American market by 2017.
“The technology is very actively being worked on,” Bob Lee, Chrysler’s vice president for engine and electrified propulsion systems, said in an interview in Detroit, according to Bloomberg.
Fiat, which as of this week owns 30 percent of the American carmaker and plans to increase the figure to 51 percent by the end of the year, will bring its technologies to the United States. Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of both Chrysler and Fiat, has stated in the past that natural-gas engines are an attractive way to cut emissions because they are cheaper than competing technologies.
“It’s a good way for some diversity in the market in terms of fuel use,” Lee said at the SAE 2011 World Congress, an automotive engineering convention in Detroit.
Chrysler is looking at the possibility of adding compressed natural gas-powered engines to its Ram brand, as Fred Diaz, head of the truck unit, said in February. It should be interesting to see how technologies that are being used on small capacity engines in Europe make their way into bigger American trucks.
“I’m eager and very interested to see what we can do with CNG in our truck applications,” Diaz said

April 12th, 2011 Texas Senate approves program for natural gas vehicles
The Texas Senate approved a program that would encourage companies to switch heavy vehicles from diesel fuel to natural gas.
The proposed legislation by state Senator Tommy Williams would also create the Texas Clean Transportation Triangle. The state would provide grants to companies that build natural gas refueling centers along interstate highways connecting Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.
Companies that own heavy trucks will also receive grants to either to buy natural gas-powered replacements, or to refit existing trucks to accept natural gas fuel.
The program would be funded with $41.7 million from the Texas Emissions Reduction Program.

April 12th, 2011 Ryder System, Inc. ordered 202 heavy-duty natural gas vehicles
Ryder System, Inc., a leader in commercial transportation and supply chain management solutions, has ordered 202 heavy-duty natural gas vehicles as part of its agreement with the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) to launch a heavy-duty natural gas truck rental and leasing project in Southern California.
Ryder will begin taking delivery of the vehicles in April, and expects to have the full order integrated into its fleet by September. Ryder will also begin work this month to upgrade the first of three existing maintenance facilities in its network to be properly equipped for the indoor servicing of natural gas vehicles and will soon commence construction of two natural gas fueling stations.
The SANBAG project, awarded to Ryder in April 2010, is being conducted in partnership with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Clean Cities Coalition. It is intended to increase the use of domestically produced alternative fuels and reduce emissions by bolstering the existing regional infrastructure in Southern California.
When fully implemented, the project will displace more than 1.5 million gallons of diesel annually with domestically produced natural gas. Based on estimates using California’s Carl Moyer program guidelines, the project will reduce more than 9.2 million pounds (4,195 metric tons) of greenhouse gas emissions per year, more than 131 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions annually, and completely eliminate 2.65 tons of diesel particulate emissions from local neighborhoods.
The $38.7 million project will be funded as part of a joint public/private industry partnership between the US Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, and Ryder. $19.3 million of the total project funding will be provided by state and federal sources, including $9.95 million from the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicles Pilot Program funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and $9.3 million via the California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel & Vehicle Technology Program. Ryder is also committing $19.4 million of its own capital into the project.
Ryder worked with its OEM partners to determine the right vehicle mix and configurations to meet the needs and applications of customers in the Southern California market. The order includes 182 Freightliner M2-112 tractors, featuring the Cummins ISL-G engine, in both single-axle and tandem-axle day cab configurations. This represents the largest single heavy-duty natural gas truck order for Freightliner in North America.

April 11th, 2011 The NAT GAS Act of 2011 was introduced in the U.S. Congress
The New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions (NAT GAS) of 2011 was introduced on Wednesday by Reps. John Sullivan, R-OK, Dan Boren, D-OK, John Larson, D-CT, and Kevin Brady, R-TX. The bill, H. R. 1380, had 76 original co-sponsors when it was introduced.
The NAT GAS Act would restore and expand the NGV tax credit that makes NGVs eligible for a credit equal to 80% of the vehicle’s incremental cost subject to caps depending upon vehicle size. It would also extend for five years the 50-cent-per-gallon alternative fuel credit for the purchase of natural gas fuel, and would expand tax credit incentives for developing natural gas fueling infrastructure.
The legislation provides:
• A tax credit for up to 80% of the incremental cost of buying a natural gas vehicle, with a maximum value ranging from $7.500 for a light-duty passenger vehicle to $64.000 for the heaviest trucks. Recognizing the innovations in vehicle engine technology, the bill includes incentives for both bi-fuel vehicles – those that run on either natural gas or gasoline – and dual fueled vehicles – where there is a mixture of small amount of diesel fuel with the natural gas. There are no vehicle tax credits in place today.
• A 50-cent per gallon fuel tax credit that is in place in 2011.
• An infrastructure tax credit of 50% of the cost up to a maximum tax credit of $100.000 per station. For stations built in 2011, there is an existing infrastructure tax credit of 30% with a maximum credit of $30.000. These credits cover only a small portion of the cost of building a station. This credit would also extend to home refueling units, where purchases would be eligible for a $2.000 tax credit.
• A tax credit to the manufacturer for the production of natural gas vehicles. The bill also includes other provisions that will facilitate the production and use of natural gas vehicles.

April 8th, 2011 Chesapeake will bring Big Blue to the 2011 Developing Unconventional Gas conference
Chesapeake Energy Corporation will bring Big Blue, its unique natural gas-powered motor coach, to the opening reception of the 2011 Developing Unconventional Gas (DUG™) conference 5-7 p.m. Monday, April 18, 2011, at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
The Oklahoma-based bus, emblazoned with the slogan "The Future Runs on Natural Gas!", will be displayed alongside a natural gas-powered 2011 Camaro and the Chesapeake chopper, a CNG-fueled custom motorcycle, as part of Chesapeake's stand in the DUG exhibition hall. Chesapeake uses these vehicles to provide public demonstrations of the real, near-term potential for natural gas-powered fleets as it seeks to promote natural gas as a clean, affordable, abundant (and American) natural resource.
The natural gas vehicles or NGVs will be on display as more than 2.000 oil and gas industry executives converge in Fort Worth for the 6th annual DUG conference, the flagship event in Hart Energy's successful DUG series. Each spring this conference brings petroleum operators, service companies and the financial community together to document successes and share lessons learned, making it the world's leading venue for unconventional resource strategy and forecast presentations.

April 6th, 2011 Alpine Waste & Recycling Co. to open natural gas refueling station in Commerce City
Alpine Waste & Recycling Co. is cutting the ribbon Tuesday on a new, 26-pump, compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling station in Commerce City.
The Commerce City-based company has eight trucks that run on natural gas. By the end of 2011, the company expects to convert about 30 percent of its 50-vehicle fleet to run on natural gas.
“The more committed that we become to natural gas, the more clearly we have seen its benefits,” said John Griffith, Alpine’s president, in an announcement. “Alpine’s natural gas trucks burn fuel more cleanly and more quietly, and it is a Colorado resource, meaning that we are helping the state’s economy.” The Alpine CNG, at least for now, is for its trucks only.
Alpine worked with Clean Energy Fuels Corp., based in Seal Beach, Calif. Alpine said it expects to save $140.000 a year in refueling costs because natural gas costs less, on a per-gallon equivalent, than diesel, and because the trucks won’t need to be closely monitored during over-night refueling operations.

April 5th, 2011 Ford Motor Company shows strong interest in CNG vehicles
Ford Motor Company is examining the interest in compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, particularly for light industrial work. Commercial fleet managers are finding more reasons to switch from conventional gasoline to natural gas, Ford officials said from Michigan, United States.
Rod Phillips, Ford's commercial manager for the New England area, said rising gasoline prices and the move toward a greener economy made CNG an attractive alternative fuel source. He said in a statement that fleet managers are adding all the reasons up and concluding that it makes sense to switch to CNG now more than ever.
Ford said CNG usage results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Department of Energy noted the price per gallon of CNG peaked in 2008 at $ 2.34 and was now around $ 1.93.
The Michigan automotive company added that Washington was providing $ 300 million in incentives to fund CNG projects and increase the number of fuel stations across the United States

April 5th, 2011. America's Natural Gas Alliance highlighted President Obama's remarks about natural gas
America's Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) Executive Vice President Tom Amontree issued the following statement on President Obama's remarks that natural gas provides America with a clean and abundant energy source that can fuel our economy for generations to come.
"We were pleased that President Obama highlighted the 'enormous' potential natural gas offers for our transportation and power sectors. The emphasis on the impact natural gas can have on our country's energy future was particularly encouraging, given the domestic abundance of this clean energy resource.”
"We appreciate President Obama's clear statement about the contribution that natural gas vehicles can make for the energy security of our country. North American natural gas vehicles hold great promise to reduce our reliance on foreign energy, while providing environmental benefits here at home.”
"The natural gas community is wholly committed to safe and responsible development. Our process has a proven track record of safety over more than six decades and 1 million wells produced. We will continue engaging with stakeholders to advance our commitment to being good environmental stewards during the production of secure and abundant natural gas."

April 4th, 2011. Converting vehicles to run on natural gas just got easier
NGVAmerica, the trade association that represents the natural gas vehicle industry, applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to streamline the requirements for certifying aftermarket systems that are used to convert vehicles to run on alternative fuels such as natural gas. The agency’s action modifies regulations that have been in force for aftermarket conversions since April 2002 and that were adopted pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act.
“At a time when oil prices are once again steeply rising and businesses and consumers are looking for real solutions to ease their pain at the pump, this action by EPA could not be more welcome,” said Richard Kolodziej, president of the trade group.
The new regulations will make it less burdensome and less expensive for companies that offer vehicle conversion systems for many existing cars and trucks, according to Kolodziej. “This should have the effect of making conversions more affordable and getting more conversion systems for more vehicle models into the marketplace.”
“EPA’s decision is particularly important in the case of heavy-duty fleets, since currently, because of cost, there are no EPA approved conversion systems for diesel vehicles,” says Kolodziej. “Because heavy-duty fleet vehicles are the biggest consumers of fuel, they have the greatest potential for by reducing the country’s dependence on foreign oil in the near term.”
Under the Clean Air Act, all new motor vehicles must meet stringent emission requirements, regardless of the fuel they use. Newly manufactured natural gas vehicles have been subject to EPA regulations since 1996. However, converted vehicles initially were exempt from the regulatory requirements but have been subject to the rigorous and expensive certification rules since 2002. Manufacturers encouraged the EPA to take steps to reduce the burden imposed by the regulations and to include additional flexibility for aftermarket systems.
The revised regulations establish three new tiers: relatively new vehicles; vehicles more than two model years old; and vehicles beyond their useful life, the definition of which varies depending on the size and weight of the vehicles. The revised regulations codify existing flexibility for conversions intended for use on vehicles produced within the past two model years and extend more flexibility to vehicles that are more than two model years old.
The new rules will continue to require that manufacturers demonstrate that their conversion systems maintain emissions performance of the vehicle. In most cases, natural gas will produce less emission because of its clean-burning properties.

April 1st, 2011. President Obama pushes incentives and funds to buy natural gas vehicles
President Barack Obama's call for more funds for natural gas exploration and incentives to buy vehicles that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) may finally spur Congress to act.
"The potential for natural gas is enormous," Obama said at a speech on energy policy at Georgetown University Wednesday.
A measure that would have dedicated $ 4 billion to boost the sale and development of natural gas vehicles stalled in Congress last year after the Senate failed to break a filibuster to approve the bill.
But Obama noted that natural gas still has strong support in Congress.
"Last year, more than 150 members of Congress from both sides of the aisle produced legislation providing incentives to use clean-burning natural gas (CNG) in our vehicles instead of oil. And that's a big deal.Getting 150 members of Congress to agree on anything is a big deal," he said.

He urged Congress to "keep at it, pass a bill that helps us achieve the goal of extracting natural gas in a safe, environmentally sound way."

March 30th, 2011. Pace considers buying new buses powered by compressed natural gas
With diesel fuel prices spiking, Pace Suburban Bus Service is thinking about buying new buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) and putting the suburban bus agency on a growing list of green transit agencies that use the cleaner-burning fuel.
Agency officials were intrigued by a recent pitch from North American Bus Industries Inc., the Alabama-based manufacturer of the lightweight, carbon-fiber, compressed natural gas-powered buses used by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or Metro.
"As a public transit agency, we need to take a leadership role as it relates to providing us with some safety from volatile fuel prices, while also doing our part to mitigate air pollution," Pace Chairman Richard Kwasneski said.
It's not the first time Pace has considered adding CNG buses to its fleet of 372 buses. In 2009, the agency and the Illinois Tollway sought a $200 million federal stimulus grant to buy 50 new CNG or hybrid buses to provide express service on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294). The Pace-tollway proposal lost out to a project to unclog rail congestion.

March 29th, 2011.Pennsylvania House Republicans Caucus to introduce natural gas incentive plan.
The Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus will soon unveil a package of bills that includes loans, grants and tax credits to encourage greater use of natural gas in vehicle fleets and mass transit. The Caucus introduced a similar “Marcellus Works” proposal near the end of the last legislative session.
“This version is refined from last session’s,” said a Caucus source. “It really focuses more on giving incentives to industry to look at using more of the resource right in our own backyard.”
The Caucus expects to introduce the legislation in early April.
The House Republican plan includes designating corridors to give tax credits to companies that establish CNG refueling stations, tax credits to business whose fleets convert to natural gas, and loans and grants to mass transit systems to convert to natural gas.
“Our goal is by 2027 that all new buses in the larger mass transit systems must run on CNG,” the Caucus source said.

March 29th, 2011. U.S. Rep. Larson pushes New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act.
As oil prices rise, U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, is pushing a bill that offers incentives for natural gas-powered vehicles. He said that he will reintroduce the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act.
"Natural gas is affordable, abundant and American," Larson said. "It costs one-third less to fill up a vehicle with natural gas than traditional gasoline and, maybe more importantly, we have enough natural gas in the U.S. to meet our energy needs for the next 100 years." Larson added that natural-gas vehicles can help create as many as 500.000 U.S. jobs.
Larson said the NAT GAS bill, which had 146 co-sponsors last year but did not reach a House vote, has bipartisan support.
"The NAT GAS Act takes a moderate approach to reducing our dependence on foreign oil by incentivizing American manufacturers to produce vehicles that run on American natural gas and encouraging American businesses and families to buy them," Larson said. "With rising gas prices and growing instability in oil regions around the world, the time to act is now."

March 26th, 2011. AT&T receives new CNG Chevrolet Express Cargo vans.
AT&T is putting 101 Chevrolet Express Cargo 2500 vans powered by low-emissions compressed natural gas (CNG) into its customer service fleet.
The purchase is consistent with AT&T's alternative fuel strategy to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and to support sustainable transportation. CNG-powered vans can produce 25 percent fewer emissions than similar gasoline- and diesel-powered vans.
"As more of our customers transition their conventional fleets to fuel-efficient and reduced-emission vehicles, we will continue to provide a one-stop shop to help them achieve their environmental goals," said Brian Small, general manager, GM Fleet and Commercial Operations.
"In addition to its leading-edge fuel system technology, every CNG van we produce is also engineered to rigorous GM standards for durability, safety and reliability," he said.
Each Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana CNG van is covered by GM's three-year, 36.000 mile new vehicle limited warranty and five-year, 100.000 mile limited powertrain warranty, and meets all Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) emission certification requirements.

The vans get gasoline-equivalent fuel economy of 11 mpg city and 16 mpg highway. Fuel tank capacity ranges from 15.8 to 23 gasoline-equivalent gallons.

March 25th, 2011. Cost savings fleet experiences at Alternative Clean Transportation Expo 2011
Leading fleet operators will talk about their efforts to move aggressively to alternative fuels such as natural gas, propane, hybrids, electric technologies, and more at the Alternative Clean Transportation Expo 2011.
ACT Expo has assembled some of the nation’s largest fleet operators to discuss not only the investments they have made in alternative fuels and fuel efficiency measures, but to present real world cost information based upon their experiences.
The agenda is online, but here’s just a sampling of some the fleet speakers lined up for ACT Expo:
•United Parcel Service (UPS) - Mike Britt, Director of Maintenance & Engineering; Ground Fleet will discuss the company’s recent order of 48 LNG class-8 heavy-duty tractors and partnership to develop a new public access LNG refueling station in Las Vegas. He will also review the company’s “rolling laboratory” approach to alternative fuel vehicle technologies.•Coca-Cola - Tony Eiermann, Senior Procurement Specialist - Fleet will review the company’s three year history and lessons learned operating the largest heavy-duty hybrid electric truck fleet in the nation, with nearly 700 hybrid units now in service. Tony will also review how the company has developed an advanced driver training program in order to get the greatest efficiency improvements out of their hybrid electric drive technology.•Paper Transport - Jeff Shefchick, President will review the company’s ultra-successful class-8 natural gas tractor project where CNG-powered Freightliners are hauling freight more than 130,000 miles a year between Green Bay and Chicago. Saving around $2.00 per diesel gallon, it will be no surprise to the audience to hear about Paper Transport’s continued investment in additional natural gas powered trucks.•Ryder - Scott Perry, Group Director - Vehicle Supply Management will present an overview of the company’s groundbreaking commercial truck rental and leasing program that will deploy nearly 250 heavy-duty LNG and CNG trucks into the market, supported by two new LNG/LCNG refueling stations in Ryder’s yards.•Frito-Lay - Joe Gold, Fleet Asset and Engineering Manager will highlight Frito Lay’s pioneering medium-duty electric truck program, with 176 units to be operating by the end of 2011 – making Frito Lay the largest electric truck fleet in the nation. Exemplifying that “there is no one solution,” Joe will also review the company’s other aggressive alternative fuel efforts across a broad range of technologies and fuels including propane, electric, and natural gas.•Chesapeake Energy Corporation - Tim Denny, Vice President will provide an update on the company’s aggressive project to deploy 5.000 light and medium-duty natural gas vehicles throughout the company’s operating fleet. Tim will review how this project is not only helping to influence the production of new AFV technology in the marketplace, but how the company’s strategic partnerships are helping to build a comprehensive refueling network to support these company vehicles and other regional NGV users.•Enterprise Rent-A-Car - Greg Tabak, EV Program Director will present details on the company’s cutting-edge initiative designed to make available for rent hundreds of battery electric (Nissan Leaf) and plug in hybrid electric vehicles (Chevy Volt) throughout Enterprise’s vehicle rental network. The event will take place at the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California, on May 4-7, 2011.

March 24th, 2011. SporTran unveiled the first five compressed natural gas buses
Gene Eddy, director of SporTran, which serves as Shreveport-Bossier City's mass transit system, unveiled the first five compressed natural gas (CNG) buses in front of Shreveport's Riverview Theater in SporTran's quest to convert its fleet to CNG. After the news conference, attendees were allowed to take a ride on a bus.
"We didn't want to just stick our toe in the water," Eddy said. "We have fully committed to using CNG."
SporTran has dabbled with alternative fuels in the past, like biodiesel, diesel-electric hybrids and low-sulfur diesel, but none of them offered the advantages and efficiency of CNG, Eddy said.
SporTran has nine more CNG buses ordered, which will arrive in August. There is also a CNG filling station under construction on North Market Street. Eddy said it should be up and running in a few weeks. Meanwhile, the CNG buses will use Bossier City's CNG filling station on East Texas Street to fill up.
Eddy said they plan to have their fleet of 46 buses converted by 2020. The CNG buses will be wrapped in a message that promotes the use of natural gas, making them easy to identify. Chesapeake Energy paid $50,000 to wrap the buses in a contract with the city of Shreveport.
The money from the promotion will serve as the 20 percent local government share that will buy two smaller CNG buses used for SporTran's Lift Line service, which transports passengers with disabilities. The federal government will kick in the other 80 percent.

March 23rd, 2011. Chairman of the Public Utility Commission to encourage natural gas vehicles in Pennsylvania.
Chairman of the Public Utility Commission, Rob Powelson, says he’s encouraging vehicle fleets to take advantage of the natural gas that’s being extracted from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania.
“I’m not saying we should come out swing for the fences, Powelson said. “But when you start looking at the advantage of having this inexpensive supply right here in Pennsylvania, the fact that vehicles emit less pollution and run quieter on compressed natural gas (CNG) it just make sense to encourage its use.”
Powelson is also serving on the Governor’s recently formed Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, where he says he’ll likewise push for greater use of CNG. Powelson first made his thoughts known on fleet use of CNG in a Commission ruling involving a Spanish solid waste firm Veolia Environmental Services North America, which has multiple locations in the United States.
In the PUC ruling, Powelson wrote: “I would encourage Veolia management to consider how they could utilize CNG-powered vehicles in Pennsylvania to help us grow greener and support the development of the Marcellus Shale and the opportunities it presents our Commonwealth. CNG-powered fleets provide an alternative energy solution which is better not only for the environment but would impact the lives of all Pennsylvanians for the good.”

March 22nd, 2011. Dillon Transport to open an LNG/CNG fueling station in Dallas.
The expansion of the alternative means of propulsion for cars and trucks is placing a tremendous strain on the existing infrastructure and calls for the creation of fueling stations that can deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG) or hydrogen.
Fleet operators and even private owners of vehicles in Texas that work on the first two fuels mentioned above can soon take advantage of a new fueling station capable of providing CNG and LNG.
To be built on the property of the contract freight carrier Dillon Transport by Clean Energy and to be mainly used by the transporter for its own needs, the new station will also be open for all those in need of refueling.
The station will give Texans a chance to profit from the lower prices for this type of fuels (they both cost less than diesel) and feel confident that they have helped their state's air become cleaner (CNG and LNG emit up to 23 percent less greenhouse gas emissions in medium to heavy-duty vehicle applications).
“With the availability of new class-8, 2010 EPA-compliant natural gas trucks from several major manufacturers, regional and national trucking operators are transitioning their fleets to natural gas to add fuel diversity, curtail harmful emissions and reduce dependence on imported oil,” said James Harger, Clean Energy marketing officer. “We commend Dillon Transport for its leadership role in this rapidly-growing movement."
The new station will enter the construction phase this month, with Clean Energy expecting to complete the work and open it in the third quarter of the year.

March 22nd, 2011. Pensacola to purchase the city's first compressed natural gas vehicle.
Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward has authorized the purchase of the city's first compressed natural gas vehicle for the city-owned utility, Energy Services of Pensacola.
Hayward also called on local businesses to consider including CNG vehicles as a cleaner option for their private fleets and to partner with the city on the effort.
The purchase of the $24.995 vehicle, a Honda Civic GX, is the first step in one of Hayward's 20 Solutions campaign pledge to explore converting city vehicles to natural gas as a way to save money on rising gasoline prices and reduce emissions into the environment.
"Given what we saw last summer with the oil spill, what we're seeing now in the Middle East and Japan, and with gas prices already at $3.50 as the national average, I decided it was time for us to start looking at natural gas vehicles," Hayward said. "Natural gas is cheaper, it's cleaner and better for the environment, and owning a natural gas utility like ESP makes it a pretty convenient vehicle to fill up."
Hayward said he will reach out to other government entities and private companies to explore their interest in participating in a pilot project for CNG vehicles for their fleets.
"Fuel costs, as well as the environmental costs, are going to keep rising for any organization with a fleet of vehicles," he said. "By reaching out to other government and private entities, the city can help those organizations reduce their own costs, cut down on pollution and support a key enterprise of the city."
The Honda purchased by the city was chosen because it was the only smaller, sedan-sized vehicle manufactured as a CNG vehicle.

March 21st, 2011.New compressed natural gas fueling station in Washington City
Utah motorists and others who drive vehicles powered by clean-burning natural gas will celebrate the opening of a new natural gas (CNG) fueling station in Washington City. The Washington City Chamber of Commerce will have a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:00AM, Thursday, March 24, 2011 at the new station located at the Washington City Public Works yard, 1305 East Washington Dam Road, Washington City, Utah.
Southern Central Director of Utah Clean Cities Robin Erickson said "This partnership effort was made possible from a grant through the Department of Energy. This grant will provide Washington City the ability to convert their fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG) and provide a CNG refueling station open to the public," she said.
Washington City Mayor Kenneth Neilson has been waiting for the opportunity to move to a cleaning burning fleet. "We are excited about our fleet using the cleanest burning fuel made in Utah," said Mayor Nielson. "We are building a better future for our city to grow and build upon, saving money, breathing easier and protecting the environment."
When asked to comment, Senator Hatch said, "Natural gas is helping our state and country reduce its dependency on foreign oil. Natural gas is abundant, affordable and domestic, and using more of it in our vehicles will make America stronger. I applaud Washington City for its fine leadership in moving energy independence forward."
"We are proud of Washington City and Mayor Neilson for leading the way in the southern part of the state showing others how to effectively use an abundant American-made fuel," said Ted Wilson, Senior Advisor on Environmental Matters.
State Senator Stephen Urquhart said, "We're fortunate that Utah's legislators and regulators value clean air and the use of domestic fuel enough to help keep natural gas for vehicles priced at an attractive rate." The pump price for natural gas is only $1.27. This opening marks the 33rd public access NGV refueling station in Utah.

March 17th, 2011. Kirkland Council approves contract with Waste Management and replace diesel by CNG vehicles.
The Kirkland City Council during its meeting Tuesday unanimously approved a seven-year contract with Waste Management, Inc. (WMI) for the collection of garbage, recyclable items and compostable materials beginning on July 1.
The contract provides for services to residential, multi-family, and commercial properties in current city limits and the Finn Hill, North Juanita, and Kingsgate areas currently served by Allied Waste Services that will be annexed to the city on June 1.
Negotiated service enhancements include limited restoration of weekly garbage collection at 22 city neighborhood parks, a later morning start time of 7 a.m. in single- and multi-family areas, collection of compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) in WMI-provided sealable bags, and curbside collection of bundled plastic grocery bags.
Other service improvements include Christmas tree collection in the first two weeks of January, installation of solar-powered garbage compactors in the Central Business District, replacement of diesel vehicles with compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles by July 31, 2012, and separate colored multi-family and commercial (blue) recycling dumpsters to avoid confusion, thus reducing recycling contamination rates.

March 16th, 2011. CNG buses became operational in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport .
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday saw 18 new compressed natural gas (CNG) shuttle buses hit the road to begin service.
The CNG buses replace gasoline-powered vehicles that had served the airport’s Park-Ride lots. The CNG vehicles produce up to 30 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions and emit fewer toxic and carcinogenic pollutants.
Through the Clean Cities Atlanta petroleum reduction program, Hartsfield-Jackson won a $ 400.000-plus grant to convert its Park-Ride shuttles.
Aviation General Manager Louis Miller said “moving toward an all-CNG-fueled shuttle bus fleet is another important step in reducing Hartsfield-Jackson’s overall carbon footprint, and it brings us closer to the ultimate goal of having 12 percent of the city’s fleet drive on alternative fuels.”

March 15th, 2011. Bob Hope Airport tests compressed natural gas powered bus.
Testing is underway at Bob Hope Airport that could spell the end of the facility’s diesel-powered bus fleet. The test involves a bus that is fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG). If the test is successful, airport commissioners could decide to convert the rest of its fleet to CNG-power.
The CNG-powered bus, which has been in operation for a month, was shown to Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority commissioners.
“This bus is quieter, more powerful and a much smoother ride,” said Fleet Supervisor Marco Rodriguez. “Customers can tell right away.”

March 15th, 2011. First fast-fill compressed natural gas station in southern Sacramento County
Elk Grove is now home to the first fast-fill compressed natural gas (CNG) station in southern Sacramento County, and it is being used to fuel the city's fleet of 43 CNG buses.
Cutting down on fueling and travel time, the station is estimated to save the city $ 200.000 each year and is also open to the public and other transit agencies 24 hours a day. It officially opened in mid-February, Transit Manager Tiffani Fink said.
The majority of the cost savings will be seen in reduced travel and fueling time, which translates to labor costs. The fast-fill at full pressure takes less than 10 minutes with no travel time required. Previously, e-tran staff would spend nearly an hour to fill a bus at a slow-fill station, with more than 30 minutes of travel time to either South Sacramento or Davis stations, a press release stated. Cost savings will also come through less wear and tear of the buses due to the shortened travel time.
The station, located at 9050 Elkmont Dr., is near Elk Grove's Corporation Yard and is owned, operated and maintained by Clean Energy Fuels Corp., a private firm that specializes in alternative fueling systems with investments in fueling facilities throughout the state. CNG is a substitute for gasoline, diesel, or propane fuel and is a cleaner fuel alternative.
“The City of Elk Grove is raising the bar for clean energy standards and is committed to the use of environmentally friendly, ultra-low-emission technologies,” Mayor Steven Detrick was quoted as saying in the news release. “The new fast-fill station offers a tremendous benefit to both the environment and the city’s bottom line.”

March 14th, 2011. Department of Energy finalizes $50 million loan for Vehicle Production Group.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy finalized a nearly $ 50 million loan to The Vehicle Production Group LLC. The loan will support the development of the six-passenger MV-1, a purpose-built wheelchair accessible vehicle that will run on compressed natural gas (CNG). The vehicle will be produced at the Mishawaka, Indiana AM General Plant.
"Advances in vehicle technology like this will help reduce our dependency on oil and ensure that our nation's workforce is producing the best, most innovative vehicles in the world," said Secretary Chu. "We hope projects like VPG will encourage the development of other compressed natural gas vehicles, resulting in reduced emissions, new jobs and increased independence for Americans who use wheelchairs."
The compressed natural gas vehicle MV-1 will use no gasoline and will produce lower emissions than gasoline-fueled vehicles. Vehicle Production Group estimates that at full capacity, the project will produce over 22.000 vehicles per year. The company estimates the project will produce over 100 jobs in Indiana, in addition to approximately 800 more direct and indirect jobs across 17 states for the assembly, part suppliers, production and sale of the vehicle.

March 11th, 2011. As prices rise, States support natural gas vehicles.
NGVAmerica congratulates the Wyoming Legislature, which has responded to the ever increasing gasoline and diesel prices by passing a law directing two state agencies to begin switching their fleets to natural gas.
House Bill 235 was signed by Wyoming Governor Matt Mead this week. The law appropriates $ 200.000 for the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Department of Administration and Information to retrofit or acquire vehicles in their fleets that are capable of running on natural gas. The state expects to switch 20 vehicles to natural gas.
"Over the past few years, we’ve seen a steady growth in interest in natural gas vehicles from government and private fleets," said Richard Kolodziej, president of NGVAmerica. "But with the recent spike in gasoline and diesel prices, we’re seeing an even bigger spike in fleet calls. Saving over $1 per gallon in fuel cost has gotten everyone’s attention. The fact that natural gas is primarily a domestic fuel and that NGVs produce less urban pollution and greenhouse gases is just an added bonus.”
“Currently, 23 state legislatures are considering bills that support natural gas as a transportation fuel, but Wyoming is the first state to recently appropriate money for state fleets to switch to natural gas.”
A handful of states have laws that support natural gas as a transportation fuel, including rebates or tax credits for public and private fleets to purchase vehicles or build infrastructure. In the past, most of the legislation was introduced in states, such as Wyoming, that produce natural gas, but Kolodziej says he expects more states—and cities -- to look at ways to save money on the ever-increasing fuel costs. Natural gas costs on average one-third less than gasoline or diesel fuel.
About 110.000 vehicles run on natural gas in the United States, and most of these are fleet vehicles, including natural gas powered buses and several large commercial fleets, such as UPS, AT&T and Verizon. Transit fleets are the biggest consumers of natural gas as a transportation fuel. The fastest growing segment of natural gas vehicles is in the refuse market.
Because of the increasing interest in domestically produced natural gas as a transportation fuel, there are regional alliances across the country working to develop natural gas fueling stations along the transportation corridors that serve regional fleets. These regional alliances are in Texas, California, the Northeast, the Southeast, along the I-75 corridor and in the Rockies.
"We will be ready as more fleets make the economic decision to switch to natural gas," says Kolodziej

March 10th, 2011. A caravan of 47 new CNG school buses will wind through the streets of Kansas City.
The compressed natural gas buses (CNG) are replacing nearly one-third of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools’ (KCKPS) diesel bus fleet. The new buses are environmentally friendly, and will cut the district’s fuel costs by more than one-third.
They were purchased with the support of a $ 4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in partnership with Kansas City Regional Clean Cities.
To dedicate the new fleet, the district is hosting an Open House for staff, students and the community from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 16.
The event will kick off with a program in the parking lot of the KCKPS Central Office and Training Center, 2010 N. 59th St. Among the speakers will be: Gloria Willis, president of the KCK Board of Education; Joe Reardon, Mayor of KCK; Dr. Kelli Mather, KCKPS chief financial officer; and Kelly Gilbert, program director, Clean Cities.
At the conclusion of the program, the CNG bus caravan will make its way from Midwest Bus Sales, in Bonner Springs, to the Transportation Department’s headquarters at 6126 Parallel Parkway.
The route will follow K-32 east out of Bonner Springs to 57th street (north) to Parallel Parkway. Patrons will have the opportunity to tour the new buses and to see the new fueling facility.
The new buses will begin transporting students when classes resume from spring break on March 21.

March 9th, 2011. Tulsa opened high-speed CNG fueling station.
As Tulsa officials prepare to increase the city's fuel budget by $ 1.1 million as a result of rising gas prices, Mayor Dewey Bartlett on Tuesday emphasized the city's long-term commitment to use more compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.
It would not only be cheaper, Bartlett said, but it would be better for the environment. "We need to lead by example," he said.
The mayor announced at a press conference the opening of a high-speed CNG fueling station in the city's west maintenance yard at 420 W. 23rd St. It can fuel two vehicles simultaneously and will serve the city's 17 vehicles that run on CNG.
The station completes the first phase of an $ 875.000 project, funded with $ 477.000 from federal energy grants and money from the city and its trash authority. Five of the CNG vehicles are trash trucks.
Two other phases, including the construction of six CNG fueling points for the trash trucks and a retail CNG fueling station that will be open to the public, are coming up.
Bartlett said the project will allow the city to replace more of its 2.600 vehicles with ones that run on CNG. "This is going to provide us with a lot of opportunities," he said.

Compressed natural gas not only burns cleaner, helping the city avoid the Environmental Protection Agency's so-called dirty-air list, Bartlett said, but it is more economical. If the city pays $3 per gallon for regular fuel, by comparison it would pay about 50 to 55 cents for CNG, he said. "With a fleet as large as the city of Tulsa's, the savings really would be significant," Bartlett said.

March 8th, 2011. Chicago Auto Show featured natural gas alternative fuel vehicles.
This year, the Chicago Auto Show not only featured the latest cars and trucks for the consumer and concept cars for the car aficionado, the auto show also showcased commercial and fleet vehicles — some being alternative fuel vehicles — for the business owner and contractor.
The 2011 Chevrolet Express CNG (compressed natural gas) Cargo Van was also showcased at the auto show. Compressed natural gas is produced domestically and can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The cargo van has a specially designed engine for gaseous fuels and comes with a fully integrated and warranted dedicated gaseous fuel system in place.
The 2011 Chevrolet Express and Savana CNG Cargo Vans utilize a 6.0L Vortec V8 engine with factory-installed hardened exhaust valves and intake/exhaust valve seats. Two fuel tank systems are offered: a three tank system and a four tank system. The three tank system provides a range up to 250 miles, and the four tank system provides a range up to 350 miles. The CNG option is immediately available on Express/Savana 2500 and 3500 cargo vans.

March 8th, 2011. Tampa International Airport to implement compressed natural gas.
The Tampa International Airport is expanding its green initiative by developing a compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel facility at the airport.
The airport announced the approval of the lease and concession agreement with Clean Energy that will allow them to develop, design, construct, operate and maintain a turnkey compressed natural gas fuel facility at the airport for 20 years.
The CNG vehicles, which are environmentally-friendly and reduce CO2 output, are expected to save the Aviation Authority over $1 million in the first five years. The vehicles will also help save significant money on fuel. According to airport officials, more revenue is expected when the station is open to the public.
That station represents one of many partnerships the TPA airport is developing to advance the green initiative. A few years ago, the airport implemented a recycling program and reclaimed water initiative. TPA will be the first airport in Florida to implement CNG.

March 8th, 2011. Pilot program for natural gas powered automobiles in Wyoming.
A pilot program for demonstrating the effectiveness of natural gas-powered automobiles in the state passed the Wyoming Legislature, but not with the funding sought by a Teton County legislator. The passed bill allocates $ 200.000 to purchase or retrofit state vehicles to run on natural gas.
Rep. Jim Roscoe, D-Wilson, sponsored HB 235, and shepherded it through several committees and both bodies. Although the funding got slashed from the original $ 1 million, Roscoe said the effort will prove instructive. “It will be a pilot project and we will get some good information from it,” Roscoe said.
The bill passed the House 33-26 in early February, allocating $ 600.000 to build a natural gas filling station in Rawlins and $ 400.000 to retrofit Wyoming Department of Transportation and Department of Administration and Information vehicles to run on the fuel.
Senators then stripped funding for the filling station out of the bill and included $ 200.000 to either retrofit vehicles so they can run on natural gas or buy ones made for the fuel. The vehicles can be fueled at a station operated by Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power Company.
Roscoe pushed the bill as a way to take advantage of the fuel that is extracted throughout the state and burns cleaner than gasoline and diesel. He argued retrofitting and building the station in Rawlins was an investment that would ultimately decrease the cost of running the state fleet.

March 4th, 2011. Texas Lieutenant Governor to increase use of natural gas for power generation and as a transportation fuel.
Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst said the state could increase its demand for natural gas by about a third, an additional 1 Bcf/d to 1.25 Bcf/d, through increased use of gas for power generation and as a transportation fuel.
"My goal is to incentivize 4.000 more megawatts of baseload natural gas-fueled power generation," said Dewhurst, speaking at the annual meeting in Austin of the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association.
Texas consumes about 3.4 Bcf/d of gas now, according to US Energy Information Administration data.
The increased demand for gas for power generation, combined with an anticipated ramping up of the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) as a fuel for corporate vehicle fleets, "will increase the gas usage in Texas from 1 Bcf/d to 1.25 Bcf/d," he said.
"I'm concerned with the reduced use of gas by some states," he said. He pointed to an anticipated increase over the long term of gas production from Texas gas shale plays, such as the Barnett, Haynesville and Eagle Ford shales and said he has committed to enacting policies to "increase the use of natural gas in Texas."
Dewhurst said he has held "eight or nine meetings" with representative of the natural gas industry, to help him devise policies designed to increase usage of the fuel in the state.
This includes encouraging the use of CNG as a motor fuel. Dewhurst said he is in talks with members of the state Senate Finance committee "to dramatically increase the use of CNG in our fleets."
He added that he hopes to formulate economic policies aimed at "bringing in large fleet operators like UPS and encouraging them to convert all of the brown vans to CNG or electric."

March 2nd, 2011. OnCue Express to add its fourth CNG fueling station in Oklahoma City.
OnCue will open its fourth CNG fueling station in the Oklahoma City area this week as part of an ongoing partnership with Chesapeake Energy Corp. The companies previously partnered to open five other CNG stations across the state.
“CNG is affordable, clean and good for Oklahoma and is much more price stable,” OnCue CEO Jim Griffith said. “While unleaded prices are more than $3 per gallon, CNG from OnCue Express has remained $1.39 per gallon since the summer. “The price difference has been a significant incentive for businesses, schools, cities and individuals to convert to CNG.”
The official opening for OnCue's newest CNG fueling station, at NW 23 and Santa Fe, is set for Thursday.
OnCue also offers CNG at NW 49 and Western, Reno and MacArthur and 9th and Broadway in Edmond.
James Roller, Chesapeake's market development coordinator, said investments in natural gas benefit Oklahoma while reducing the country's dependence on foreign oil. “It is important that we support the overall natural gas industry in Oklahoma, an industry that provides one in seven state jobs and is the backbone of our economy,” he said. “Dollars spent toward natural gas means more funding for our education system and local communities.”
Company officials expect additional CNG fueling options in Oklahoma to entice more drivers and businesses to make the switch as well.

March 1st, 2011. First compressed natural gas fueling station at a Love's Country Store.
About 40 people huddled braved freezing temperatures and snow flurries Thursday to celebrate the opening of the first compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station at a Love's Country Store.
The Oklahoma City-based chain of convenience stores and truck stops dallied with the gasoline alternative in the 1980s, but spokeswoman Jenny Love Meyer said this time is different.
Now Love's is partnering with industry giant Chesapeake Energy Corp., which will supply natural gas for the fueling station. CNG was selling for $1.39 a gasoline gallon equivalent Thursday, while gas as $3.29 a gallon.
Meyer said the Kingfisher station, which will help fuel Chesapeake's fleet in the area, is a test case for Love's. The company doesn't have any definitive plans to add CNG at any of its other 260 locations, she said.
Love's offered CNG at a couple of Oklahoma locations in the 1980s, but there wasn't sufficient demand for the fuel. Meyer said the circumstances have changed.
“This is the first of what we hope will be more CNG fueling stations at Love's locations across Oklahoma and the rest of the country as the market develops,” she said.

March 1st, 2011. Tulsa Authority for the Recovery of Energy evaluates the use of CNG powered trucks.
Tulsa's trash board is debating whether to require the next trash and recycling hauler to use compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks, in part, to bolster the city's air-quality efforts.
"That's a lot of trucks going up and down the streets on a daily basis," board member William Bowles said during a recent special meeting of the Tulsa Authority for the Recovery of Energy.
Member Michael Pierce noted that the city has plenty of Ozone Alert days during the summer and that there would be a lot of ramifications if Tulsa landed on the Environmental Protection Agency's so-called "dirty-air" list. "We need to be a leader in this area," he said.
But the board is not ready to say yet whether it wants to require bidders to supply an entire CNG fleet or a partial one or whether it will simply award extra points in the bidding evaluation for those who do.
Members are working with consultants R.W. Beck on the bid documents to be released in the coming months. Several of the board's long-term contracts, including hauling, will expire in the summer of 2012. Each of the new agreements is expected to last eight to 10 years.
The contracts are to be divided into four areas: trash and recycling collection, yard and bulky waste collection, recovery of energy (because the burn plant's contract will be up, too) and recycling processing.

February 28th, 2011. Oil prices rose above $100 a barrel for first time since October 2008.
Legendary energy executive T. Boone Pickens issued the following statement in response to benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude rising above $100 a barrel for the first time since October 2008.
“I predicted we would see $100 oil by end of the first quarter and now – less than two months into the new year – it’s here,” said Pickens. “The unrest in Libya has sent prices soaring and there will be no end in sight if we continue to be dependent on oil from unfriendly nations. The U.S. is now spending around $1.2 billion a day to import oil. There was never any question instability elsewhere would raise oil prices, the only question is: Why didn’t we do anything to protect ourselves from it? We can no longer afford to stand by and watch this happen as our national security is put at risk.
“Congress and the Administration need to act immediately to put a plan in place that addresses this crisis. To solve the problem, we need to begin focusing on transportation. By using our own abundant natural gas resources to fuel heavy-duty trucks, we can immediately reduce our dependence on OPEC oil, which in turn will improve national security while also strengthening our economy.
“Getting off OPEC oil and onto our own resources should be the number one priority in America. We cannot continue to let what is happening in other countries dramatically impact our economy here in the United States. We use more oil than anyone else and we have no energy plan. The solution is right in front of us and now is the time to get serious and put a plan in place.”

February 25th, 2011. Lincoln Airport Authority to install natural gas refueling station.
The Lincoln Airport Authority plans to install a compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station that will be open to the public.
The board on Thursday approved a contract with Nifco Mechanical Systems of Lincoln to install the $ 320.000 station, which will be on airport-owned property near Northwest 36th and West Mathis streets. Airport Authority Executive Director John Wood said he hopes to have the station up and running by June or July.
A grant from the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition will pay half the cost of the station, Wood said. He informed that the station will be the second one in Lincoln but the first open to the public. Black Hills Energy has one it uses to fuel some of its own vehicles.
The Airport Authority plans initially to purchase seven vehicles that can run on compressed natural gas to replace older vehicles in its fleet, Wood said, and hopes eventually to have as many as 20.
Bob McNally, the airport's operations director, said the airport is estimating it will take eight to nine years to recoup its costs. That estimate is based on gasoline hitting $ 4 a gallon by 2018. "If it rises very quickly, we pay back much more quickly," he said.

February 24th, 2011. Speedriven 2007 Mercedes SL600 aims to beat CNG speed records.
Bernie Towns, an engineer at HighMount Exploration and Production, a natural gas focused energy company based out of Houston, Texas, decided to beat compressed natural gas (CNG) speed records and, as a result the vehicle’s engine was heavily modified. The 2007 Mercedes SL600 car now offers 800 hp and 1.000 lb-ft of torque, which allows it to play the quarter mile game in 10 seconds and offer the top speed that exceeds 200 mph.
He doesn’t only want to create a CNG speeder, but aims to beat records, aiming to hit 230-240 mph. The project is being handled by Speedriven, which might even receive support from Mercedes-Benz USA.
“Audi has the current record, at 364.6 kilometers per hour that they set back in 2009. That’s just over 225 mph, which they did in a heavily tuned Audi S4 making about 700 hp,” explains Towns. “That wasn’t standing-mile speed or anything, that was all they could get out of that car. The Mercedes has a bigger engine to start with, and it’s a slipperier car – from the factory at least. By the time this is all said and done, we’ll be making at least another 100 horsepower over the record Audi, and Mercedes has already given us a better aero package to work with. 230 mph to 240 mph run on CNG powered fuel.”

February 23rd, 2011. Fast-fill natural gas station approved by Glastonbury panel.
The town plan and zoning commission has approved its first fast-fill natural gas station.
Last year, Glastonbury secured a $ 490.000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy that bolstered the town's fleet of natural gas-powered vehicles and funded the construction of a fast-fill station for the cars and vans.
For the past few years, the town has expanded its purchase of natural gas vehicles and over the next four years will purchase 14 of the vehicles to replace older, less fuel-efficient vehicles in the town fleet. Glastonbury has several sedans in service and two dial-a-ride vans.
With the new vehicles comes the need for the fast-fill station. The town has a slow-fill station at Riverfront Community Center, but vehicles have to fuel overnight and there is a limited number of ports.
Daniel A. Pennington, town engineer/manager of physical services, said the slow-fill station was not sufficient to fuel the vehicles in the expanded fleet. The pumps at the new station will be able to fuel the cars in minutes. He said the station will be configured for town use with a potential for public use in the future. There are two commercial fueling stations in the state and they are in Hartford and Norwich.
The station, located on the south side of the center, is expected to be operational in the spring.

February 19th, 2011. Chrysler is considering compressed natural gas engines for Ram Brand.
Chrysler Group LLC, the U.S. automaker operated by Fiat SpA, is exploring the possibility of adding compressed natural-gas powered engines to its Ram truck brand, a top executive said.
“I’m eager and very interested to see what we can do with CNG in our truck applications,” Fred Diaz, head of the Ram brand, said in an interview at the Chicago Auto Show.
Fiat, which holds a 25 percent stake in Chrysler, is the market leader in Europe for engines using compressed natural gas. It has an 80 percent share of CNG-powered cars and 55 percent of light commercial vehicles. Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of both automakers, has said natural-gas engines are an attractive way to cut emissions because they’re cheaper than competing technologies.
“If that becomes the new in-thing for alternative fuel going forward, we’re going to be miles ahead of the competition,” Diaz said. The U.S. became the world’s largest producer of natural gas in 2009.
Ram may experiment with vehicles sold to fleet customers, which would have their own fueling station, Diaz said. He declined to give a time line or specify which Ram models might get the new engine.

February 17th, 2011. Bill aims to boost investment in natural gas in West Virginia.
Sen. Brooks McCabe, D-Kanawha, and a dozen other senators introduced legislation to spur investment in the natural gas industry ahead of the anticipated Marcellus Shale boom.
The bill is a companion to two other bills moving through the Legislature that would regulate how the natural gas industry treats the environment, especially the state's water supply. To get at the gas trapped in the Marcellus Shale, an enormous amount of water needs to be taken from streams and shot into the earth as part of a potentially polluting cocktail of chemicals.
But McCabe's bill, which is backed by acting Sen. President Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, makes what some officials consider equally important changes to the state's law encouraging natural gas-related investment in the state.
A West Virginia University study commissioned by the natural gas industry said Marcellus Shale-related development could provide 20.000 new jobs and inject billions of dollars into the state economy.
The Marcellus Shale Gas and Manufacturing Development Act includes a number of tax breaks to encourage the use of natural gas."We want to try to accelerate in the next five years the introduction and usage of natural gas-powered vehicles," McCabe said. The bill reinstates an expired tax credit for vehicles that run on natural gas and provides credits for natural gas fueling stations.
"Who is going to do that with no service stations?" McCabe said of buying a natural gas powered vehicles. But, "What service stations are going to come when there are no natural gas vehicles?"

February 16th, 2011. Five SporTran new CNG buses will be phased into the rotation.
Starting next month, five SporTran new buses will be phased into the rotation, fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG). SporTran buses carry 3-million passengers a year on seventeen Shreveport-Bossier routes.
"These buses are a huge plus for our environment they don't produce nearly any of the emissions that a normal diesel operator vehicle would do" says Valarie McElhose.
The new buses will go into rotation until all fifty are phased out. "As the new buses become available, we'll switch to all natural gas and as the old ones reach their useful life and are retired, they'll be replaced with natural gas vehicles" says McElhose.
"Some experts say it's as much as 40-50 percent more economical than diesel fuel. You can look at the prices at the pump and see that CNG is a lot cheaper than diesel right now" she says. Bus fare will remain the same. SporTran hopes to get nine more buses in july.
SporTran is in the process of wrapping 5 new Compressed Natural Gas buses. The new flyer vehicles are the first of 14 to be introduced into the SporTran fleet this year.
"This is the largest technology change for Shreveport mass transit since the early 60's, when the last electric trolley was replaced by a diesel bus," said SporTran Manager, Gene Eddy.

Mayor Cedric Glover announced the City's intent to convert the fleet to CNG last March. Since then, SporTran has been busy getting ready for the transition. "We are working hard getting everything ready for the conversion, "said Joe Watson, SporTran Maintenance Manager.

February 15th, 2011. Austin to buy 27 alternative fuel vehicles and save $ 355.000 annually.
The Austin City Council accepted the $ 5 million Texas Commission on Environmental Quality grant during its regular meeting. The money will cover about 66 percent of the cost to buy the vehicles. The city will pay for the rest, or about $ 3.2 million.
The new fleet includes 18 compressed natural gas refuse trucks for Solid Waste Services; five CNG sweepers for Solid Waste Services, Public Works and Aviation; two diesel hybrid bucket trucks for Austin Energy; and two electric trucks for the Parks and Recreation Department.
The city estimates the switch will prevent 9.62 tons of nitrogen oxide from entering the atmosphere every year, as well as save $ 355.000 in fuel costs annually. Officials also set the goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2020.
The city won a $ 198.090 grant from the same program last year to outfit certain fleets with auxiliary power units that allow workers to plug in power tools and other equipment for up to eight hours without having to keep the engine idling.
Austin's Fleet Services division employs about 200 people and maintains more than 45.000 city vehicle orders annually.

February 15th, 2011. Incentives to convert cars to natural gas in New Mexico.
New Mexicans tired of getting gouged by increasing gasoline prices may have an alternative and some healthy incentives to convert their cars to natural gas with a bill moving through the House.
The House Business and Industry Committee approved HB 198, which provides personal and corporate income tax credits to those who convert their petroleum-based vehicles to natural gas. The bill, sponsored by House Speaker Ben Lujan (D-Nambe) offers a vehicle owner additional state tax credits after the owner takes advantage of federal credits.
Under HB 198, vehicle owners would be credited 70 percent of the conversion costs after receiving the federal tax credit at 40 percent between now and January 1, 2017. For example, if a car owner spent $ 10.000 converting his vehicle he will be credited 40 percent of the cost from the federal government or $ 4.200. The vehicle owner could then apply for the state credit at 70 percent for the remaining $ 6.000, leaving the vehicle owner paying $ 1.800 for the total conversion costs.
Nine natural gas stations currently exist in the state and a majority of the natural gas-operated vehicles are owned by municipalities. Lujan hopes that if the bill, which passed the House but died in the Senate Finance Committee last year, becomes law will also help New Mexicans save money. The average cost of natural gas is about $ 1.76 per gallon, compared with more than $ 3 per gallon for petroleum-based fuel.
The bill now goes to the House Judiciary Committee.

February 9th, 2011. Two new compressed natural gas fueling stations for vehicles in Omaha.
The Metropolitan Utilities District plans to use federal stimulus money to build two compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations for vehicles in Omaha.
U.S. Senator Ben Nelson says MUD received a $ 2.2 million loan for the project from the Nebraska Energy Office. The new stations will be the first in the area to sell natural gas to the public.
The stations should open June 1 and will serve as a pilot project for the state to see whether demand for the clean-burning fuel might grow when customers can rely upon a retailer, said Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman.
“If this is helpful in reducing our dependence on foreign oil and becoming more energy independent, I think it’s a good idea,” said Heineman.
The stations are a part of a shared project put together by Metropolitan Utilities District and Happy Cab Co. The two plan to field fleets of vehicles that rely solely on compressed natural gas.
The new filling stations will be at 63rd and Center Streets and 54th and L Streets. They will be owned and operated by Mark Mitchell, owner of Happy Cab.

February 8th, 2011. Norwich Public Utilities shows off its green fleet.
In an effort to help expand the Clean Cities program to more locations throughout Connecticut, Norwich Public Utilities hosted a delegation from the Yankee Gas Co., displaying its fleet of Alternative Fuel Vehicles and fueling stations and educating the Yankee Gas representatives about how to integrate such technology into its own fleet.
Norwich Public Utilities currently maintains a fleet of Alternative Fuel Vehicles powered by natural gas, biodiesel, and electric hybrid technology.
Since 1995, Norwich Public Utilities has maintained a fleet of more than 30 Alternative Fuel Vehicles. It operates the only 24 hour, publicly accessible compressed natural gas fueling station in southeastern Connecticut.

January 31st, 2011. Exxon Mobil forecasts an expansion of natural gas supply, particularly in the U.S.
Exxon Mobil Corporation forecasts that by 2030 natural gas will surpass coal as an energy source, oil demand will rise to 100 million barrels a day, and gasoline consumption will decline despite 400 million more cars on the world's roads.
Rex Tillerson, CEO of the Irving-based oil giant, forecasts that newly unlocked supplies of shale gas and other unconventional energy sources will prove vital in meeting a projected 35 percent rise in overall energy demand.
Exxon Mobil, in its new edition of "Outlook for Energy: A View to 2030," forecasts an expansion of natural gas supply, particularly in the U.S., where gas produced from shale, tight sandstone and coalbed methane is "expected to meet more than 50 percent of gas demand by 2030."
The report sees natural gas becoming the second-largest global energy source, behind oil, as electricity demand skyrockets more than 80 percent and natural gas is increasingly burned to generate electricity because it pollutes the air less than coal.
"Demand for natural gas for power generation is expected to rise by about 85 percent from 2005 to 2030, when natural gas will provide more than a quarter of the world's electricity needs," Exxon Mobil projected.

January 28th, 2011. President Obama recognizes role of natural gas in clean energy future.
The American Gas Association (AGA) applauded President Obama for recognizing the role of natural gas in the country’s “Sputnik moment.”
“We commend the president for acknowledging the role of natural gas in the country’s clean energy future,” said Dave Parker, president and CEO of AGA. “Natural gas is poised to play a critical role in improving our country’s efficiency, security and economy today and for hundreds of years to come.”
President Obama stressed the need for additional research and innovation across many sectors, including incentives for the automotive industry to help break the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. “We look forward to working with the president and Congress to broaden their thinking beyond the goal set by Obama for electric cars to include clean natural gas vehicles, which will further reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help to meet our carbon reduction goals,” Parker said.
“The president also stressed the importance of job creation, something we know that the natural gas industry can continue to deliver on,” said Parker. “The natural gas industry employs 300.000 people and that doesn’t even begin to take into account the millions of people employed indirectly by the industry. Increased investment in clean natural gas technologies and the infrastructure needed to deliver the fuel is a solid investment in America’s economic engine.”
Natural gas is an essential component in the U.S. economy. It is a clean energy source found in abundance throughout the United States and Canada that meets one-fourth of all U.S. energy needs.
“As the president noted, there’s a lot at stake,” Parker said. “Protecting the environment, the economy and our national security are increasingly important challenges and natural gas is clearly part of the solution. We are pleased to know the White House supports the use of this clean and efficient energy source to meet America’s needs and we look forward to working with Congress to best serve the country by developing sound policies that make full use of America’s abundant natural gas.”

January 26th, 2011. Montebello Bus Lines replaces diesel buses with cleaner CNG burning fuel.
Montebello Bus Lines is in the process of replacing its 66-bus fleet with hybrids and vehicles that run on cleaner-burning compressed natural gas (CNG). Just 26 buses still run on diesel, but they are being replaced and the first CNG bus arrived last Friday night.
Two more will be arriving soon, said Alva Carrasco, assistant director of transportation for Montebello Bus Lines. Eventually the remaining vehicles will all run on CNG.
"It's a cleaner-emission bus but also we're looking at the long-term," Carrasco said. "CNG fuel is much less expensive than diesel."
The city contracted Seal Beach-based Clean Energy to build a compressed natural gas fueling station with construction due to start in May, officials said. Until then, Montebello's CNG buses will tank up in Commerce.
The $ 2.1-million project will be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, along with a year's worth of maintenance costs, officials said. "It's a win-win situation any way you look at it," said Mayor Art Barajas.
CNG has become popular in both government and private sector fleets because the gaseous fuel is produced domestically and is cheaper, said Derek Turbide, business development manager for Clean Energy. Its molecular structure has less carbon, meaning it's cleaner than gasoline and diesel.
"The experts in the energy industry say (the U.S. is) the Saudi Arabia of natural gas," Turbide said. "We've got a lot of domestic natural gas - something like over 120 years of domestic reserves of natural gas at today's

January 25th, 2011. United States market to show the strongest growth in natural gas vehicle sales.
According to a new report from Pike Research, United States market will show the strongest growth in natural gas vehicle (NGV) sales, 25.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2010 and 2016, resulting in 32.619 vehicles sold in 2016. The potential for new emissions regulations on both light duty and medium and heavy duty vehicles and the passage of some form of the NAT GAS Act early in 2011 are expected to contribute to the U.S. growth.
Pike expects the worldwide NGV sales will increase at a healthy pace over the next several years, rising from 1.9 million vehicles per year in 2010 to more than 3.2 million units annually by 2016.
Overall, Pike projects the current 12.6 million unit global NGV market which they forecast will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9% to reach 19.9 million vehicles by 2016. Natural gas refueling station development is not expected to achieve the same growth rate, but will reach nearly 26.000 stations worldwide by 2016.
The growth in vehicles will lead to growth in usage of natural gas for transportation fuel, which Pike expects to reach 19.123 million cubic meters of gas globally (6.7% CAGR between 2010 and 2016).
Pike expects India to overtake Iran for the lean in NGV sales in 2014, and targets that market at 612.389 NGVs in 2016 (12.0% CAGR). Iran and Pakistan are expected to rank second and third, respectively.
China will see strong growth (20.8% CAGR) as NGVs spread in the fleet and consumer markets; overall, however, NGVs will remain a small percentage of the market as China’s government is expected to continue to focus on electrification.

January 25th, 2011. Chesapeake Energy plans to open first public CNG filling station in Bradford County.
Chesapeake Energy, in conjunction with Williams Oil, Pennsylvania Dandy Mini-marts and Endless Mountains Transportation Authority (EMTA), is planning on building one of the first public CNG filling stations in northeast Pennsylvania.
Williams Oil operations manager Dwayne Phillips, of Towanda, said details about the station are few at this point. "We learned just before Christmas that we had been approved for a grant, and I will be having a meeting for the first time about this Monday," he said, noting that more details will be forthcoming in the weeks and months ahead.
"We were part of a group that teamed up with Chesapeake Energy and EMTA as part of a grant application for Chesapeake to convert a number of pickups, and EMTA to convert or purchase five buses and we are to construct a fueling station in Bradford County. We have about 16 months to complete the project," he added.
A recently approved $ 750.000 DEP Alternative Fuels Incentive matching grant received by the EMTA will help pay for conversion of five of those vehicles, according to Karen Melasecca, EMTA general manager, of Athens.
"This is a matching grant so the total amount of the project is about $ 1.8 million," she said, adding that as EMTA adds more vehicles to its fleet, they, too, will eventually be converted to run on CNG.
The new CNG filling station primarily will serve Chesapeake Energy Corporation's CNG fleet and the Endless Mountain Transit Authority, which will convert 18 trucks to CNG, in addition to the general public.

January 24th, 2011. Dallas Area Rapid Transit to spend on up to 452 buses powered by compressed natural gas.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), in an effort to clear the air, is spending $217 million on up to 452 buses powered by compressed natural gas. DART's order for new buses will be the nation's largest and will be the first big purchase to include electric air conditioning.
A DART board committee voted unanimously for the fleet purchase, with service expected to begin in 2013. DART will build CNG fueling stations, with the federal government helping cover the cost. Current buses run on diesel fuel.
"This is one of those game-changing decisions that affects all of North Texas," said William Velasco, DART board chairman. "Cleaner air is better air and this helps clean the pollutants out of the North Texas region."
The declining price of natural gas was another reason for DART's endorsement of CNG buses.
DART executives and outside experts initially maintained that newer, cleaner diesel engines now on the market cause no more pollution than CNG-operated vehicles. Those diesel-powered buses would have cost less to buy and would not have required DART to build natural-gas fueling stations.
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert has said that even if the environmental impacts were about the same, the "greener" reputation of natural gas made CNG buses a better choice.
"It is not just about branding the city as a green city," said Leppert chief of staff Chris Heinbaugh. "He (mayor) cares very much about easing this country off of oil, and not just from an environmental aspect. He looks at it from a national security standpoint, too, and that is why he feels so passionately about this and why he worked so hard to get DART to consider buying the CNG buses."

January 21st, 2011. Ford Transit Connect Taxis to hit the streets of Chicago and run on natural gas.
Ford Transit Connect Taxis will begin winding through the streets of the Windy City in March when a fleet of the alternative-fuel vehicles joins Yellow Cab Chicago.
Taxi Medallion Management purchased the 12 clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG) Transit Connect Taxis for its fleet. The cabs will be affiliated with Yellow Cab Chicago and bear the company's logo and color.
The purchase is part of the company's goal of reducing emissions by 25 percent, said Michael Levine, CEO of Taxi Medallion Management. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CNG is less expensive and burns cleaner than gasoline, resulting in 30 to 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions.
"We are adding vehicles with more fuel-efficient gasoline engines, as well as vehicles with alternative-fuel sources, to find a vehicle mix that best suits our customers, our drivers, the city at large and the environment," said Levine. "We are excited about testing this new vehicle."
The Ford dealership, Packey Webb Ford, of Downers Grove, Ill., will deliver the taxi units to Taxi Medallion Management with an engine preparation package for conversion to CNG.
Since introduced as a production vehicle last year, Transit Connect Taxi is gaining interest from taxi operators around the country. The first taxi was delivered to Boston Cab Dispatch in December 2010.

January 18th, 2011. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority decided on natural gas buses.
The last diesel bus in the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s fleet was hauled away in a ceremony at Metro maintenance facility on Lyon Street in Downtown.
Metro directors have been ordering only alternative fuel clean air vehicles since 1993, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, who chairs Metro’s board of directors.
After trying methanol and ethanol buses, Metro decided on compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and currently has 2.221 CNG vehicles, six gasoline-electric hybrid buses and one electric bus in its fleet.
“CNG buses to date have logged 1 billion miles, which adds up to a lot of pollutants that did not hit the air,” Knabe said. “This reduces cancer-causing particulate matter by more than 80% and avoids nearly 300.000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each and every day.”
Figures from the American Public Transportation Association show that Metro is the national leader in terms of its clean air fleet, ranking above New York, Chicago and Miami. With the retirement of its last diesel bus, Metro will be the only agency in the U.S. to run its fleet solely on alternative fuels.
Although CNG buses, at $450,000, cost $50,000 more to make than diesel buses, it only costs CNG buses 40 cents to operate per mile versus 80 cents for diesel buses due to CNG’s fuel efficiency, said Sup. Mike Antonovich, who is also a board member of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
“More than 98% of CNG is consumed in the U.S. but it’s also produced in the U.S. so we don’t have to worry about foreign oil or trade embargoes,” said Antonovich. “CNG is 97% cleaner than diesel; we are reducing carbon monoxide by 80% and greenhouse gases by over 20%.”

January 18th, 2011. New fast fill CNG fueling station for the Atlantic City Jitney Association shuttle service.
The Atlantic City Jitney Association shuttle service has contracted with Seal Beach based Clean Energy Fuels to build and operate a new fast fill compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling station.
The CNG fueling facility will support Atlantic City Jitney Association’s deployment of its new fleet of 190 clean-running shuttle buses. The association has been providing transportation services to residents and visitors since 1915.
“Ours is the longest-running nonsubsidized transit company in America, and we are committed to switching our entire fleet to 100 percent natural gas power,” said Tom Woodruff, president of the Atlantic City Jitney Association. “CNG fuel prices are consistently lower than gasoline or diesel, and CNG extends vehicle life because it causes less engine wear and tear.”
Clean Energy fuels more than 5.000 natural-gas buses across the nation.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to support the Atlantic City Jitney Association as they implement this important, exemplary fleet transition effort,” said James Harger, Clean Energy’s chief marketing officer.

January 17th, 2011. Greer Commission of Public Works plans to convert most of its fleet to run on natural gas.
The utility provider believes this will reduce harmful emissions and lower its operating costs, which could result in savings to its customers. It has already converted one car and one truck to run on compressed natural gas (CNG).
"We did it in October and so far we haven't noticed any difference in the vehicles' performance," said Rob Rhodes, gas operations manager for Greer CPW. "They drive really well. And we should start to notice a big savings in our fuel costs by the end of this year."
CNG costs $1.25 a gallon now, versus approximately $2.88 for regular unleaded in the Greer area. Rhodes believes when CPW converts more of its 115 vehicles to CNG, it will add up to big savings for the utility provider.
"And anything that helps us keep operating costs low also helps us keep our rates low that we pass along to customers," said Rhodes. He adds that natural gas is also environmentally-friendly, producing 30% fewer harmful emissions than regular gasoline.
CPW spent about $18.500 converting the two vehicles to CNG. Since CPW is a natural gas provider, it installed its own filling station which lowers the cost to around 0.70 cents a gallon, according to Rhodes. The drawback to using that station - which is known as a "time fill station" - is that it takes about 9 hours to fill an empty 8.9 gallon tank. But CPW also uses a fast fill station setup by Piedmont Natural Gas at its location off Woodruff Road in Greenville. There, it takes only three to four minutes to fill an empty tank, according to Rhodes.

January 5th, 2011. Kansas City Missouri Police to tryout two new natural gas cars.
Kansas City Missouri Police are going green in 2011. The deparment will tryout two new cars that run on natural gas. Fuel cost was part of the decision for police to convert some of their vehicles to an alternative fuel.
Natural gas would save money. The police department will use grant money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to purchase the two new, compressed natural gas (CNG) Chevrolet Impalas. They will be used by commanders or detectives and not as patrol cars.
About 10 of the police departments current Crown Victoria police cruisers will also be converted to natural gas. The city already uses 250 natural gas vehicles. Even though the cars will save money, they don't come cheap. Each Impala will cost $21.000 with and additional $14.000 to convert them. Fleet operations supervisor Darrell Cooper compares the performance of a CNG to a regular gasoline vehicle.
The decision to try the new cars was based on the 250 cars already in use by KCPD.

January 4th, 2011. Natural gas powered vehicle solutions provide green investment opportunities.
The Wall Street Transcript has just published 2011 Best Green Investments: Alternative Energy And Socially Responsible Stocks offering a timely review of the Energy sector. This Special Report contains expert industry commentary through in-depth interviews with public company CEOs, Equity Analysts and Money Managers.
John Roy, Ph.D., joined Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC, in 2008 as a Senior Research Analyst covering alternative energy and advanced materials. Previously, Dr. Roy covered alternative energy and nanotechnology at WR Hambrecht & Co. and IT hardware and technology strategy at Merrill Lynch. He also worked in aerospace and software development for 12 years.
According to him, the greatest near-term opportunities for clean tech companies depend on alternative generation and alternative transportation.
In terms of alternative transportation, Dr. Roy said actually the rest of the world is much further ahead than United States. Lots of natural gas, lots of propane vehicles across the globe - there's probably about 10 million of each of those, so on aggregate, 20 million vehicles that run on those types of fuels. In the United States, there are roughly those two types of vehicles combined, maybe 300.000. So the United States is actually behind.
He indicated that the premier market is actually Italy. Italy has reduced its subsidies at the beginning of this year. The subsidies in the previous years has pushed the market to where almost one-third of all vehicles sold in Italy were either natural gas or propane enhanced; it was 31%, which is quite an amazing number. So the government basically said, "Look, you guys are stabilized on your own, you don't need these subsidies anymore."
Dr. Roy said the companies that are well situated and are taking advantage of that are Landi Renzo and Fuel Systems Solutions. Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC actually has "buy" ratings on both of them. But outside of Italy in Europe, it is France too. Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC also believes Germany and Poland are going to do well in Europe. Also, both Fuel and Landi actually have operations in upwards of 34, 35 different countries already. Both of them have limited vehicle efforts in United States at this point.
Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC covers China Natural Gas, too. It has a "buy" on them. The company thinks that this is an area where the Chinese government is indeed very supportive. They want to use natural gas in as many places as possible. They have natural gas resources in the center of the country. So they are going to be putting that capability more in the central part of the country than on the coast at this point.

January 3rd, 2011. Beavers Petroleum Equipment to add more CNG stations in Albany and Syracuse.
In late November, Beavers Petroleum Equipment Co., at 88B Ridge Road, added two compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in Albany and Syracuse to the list of more than 60 fueling locations the company has built in New York and Pennsylvania since 1989.
Beavers' client list includes New York's Department of Transportation, the City of Erie (Pa.), the Orion Bus Co. of Oriskany (N.Y.), National Fuels of Buffalo and the Monroe County Airport.
The newest stations were built for National Grid, a British utility company that operates in New York. They are part of National Grid's network of 15 CNG stations.
The project was financed by a $2.5 million stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and a matching amount from the company. The funding will allow National Grid to add 33 vehicles to its natural gas-powered fleet, which already includes passenger cars, service trucks and large commercial vehicles.
"We did everything. We did a design and build for the owner, assisted with the permitting process, and supplied and installed all of the equipment," said Angela Beavers, CEO of Beavers Petroleum.
"National Grid's stations project will result in significant energy security and economic benefits," she said. "The stations in Albany and Syracuse will serve as a link to the federal government's planned Clean Fuel Corridor."
National Grid's newest stations are designed to refuel the company's vehicles and those owned by the general public. Company vehicles are parked at the stations and fill up overnight. Vehicles owned by the public are "quick filled" similar to a regular gas station, said William Hilbrunner, National Grid's fleet service manager.

January 2nd, 2011. Visalia's transit system to purchase six buses propelled by compressed natural gas.
Visalia's transit system will be replacing half the buses in its 12-vehicle Dial-A-Ride shuttle-bus system, with USD 720.000 of the projected USD 950.000 total cost covered by federal funding, officials reported.
The six-bus purchase — with all vehicles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), as is the current 12-bus Dial-A-Ride fleet — was approved by the Visalia City Council on December 20, 2010.
"The existing Dial-A-Ride buses have been operating since 2002," said Monty Cox, transit director. "It is time to replace them."
Most of the funding comes from federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grants, designed to assist cities in replacing air-polluting diesel buses with ones that run on compressed natural gas.
"All of our Dial-A-Ride buses already run on compressed natural gas," Cox said. "We're just modernizing the fleet."
On any given day, up to seven Dial-A-Ride buses — which also service Exeter — are in operation, Cox said. They provide specialized transportation, designed for people 55 years of age and older, and residents who are certified disabled or who hold Medicare cards.

December 22nd, 2010. Free CNG field trips offered to Kansas Public Schools students.
Educating students about environmental issues and the roles they can actively play in conserving energy and contributing to a healthier planet are some of the goals of a new initiative started by the Transportation Department of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS).
The “Going Green” initiative is a component of the department’s new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Bus program. The department is replacing 30 percent of its diesel bus fleet with CNG buses.
A total of 46 buses have been ordered and will be in use by February of 2011. The buses will run on CNG, an odorless and tasteless energy source that is clean burning and environmentally friendly.
To allow students to experience the new fleet of buses, the Transportation Department is providing one free field trip to each of the districts 47 school sites this school year.
“These new buses are the wave of the future,” said George Taylor, transportation director. “They are good for the environment, and they will ultimately result in a good amount of energy savings for the district. We are the only school district in the state of Kansas to have these buses in our fleet and we want our students to understand the role we are playing in protecting our planet.”
The first field trip took place on December 20 when the department’s model CNG bus transported students from the Early Childhood Annex, at the Technical Education Center, to Kaleidoscope.
A Clean Cities Coalition grant is helping to fund approximately 33 percent of the purchase price of the CNG buses.

December 21st, 2010. The city of Nashua to buy natural gas powered trucks.
The city of Nashua, New Hampshire, plans to buy a fleet of trash trucks powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of diesel.
The Nashua Telegraph says aldermen approved two measures last week that allowed for the purchase of nine vehicles. One is a contract with McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing of Morgantown, Pa., for $2.3 million for nine trucks powered by compressed natural gas.
The city could also pay $1.84 million for diesel-powered trucks if the aldermen choose that route.
The board approved a resolution to accept $400.000 from the state Department of Environmental Services to cover most of the extra cost of the natural gas powered trucks over diesel powered trucks.
Mayor Donnalee Lozeau says the natural gas engines last 25 percent longer and cleaner.

December 21, 2010. Congress continues incentives for natural gas vehicles.
Congress took an important step Thursday toward reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil by extending two key incentives for natural gas vehicles, says the president of Natural Gas Vehicles for America.
Legislation extending incentives for natural gas vehicles is included in the H.R. 4853 – the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010. The legislation extends through 2011:
• The 50-cent per gallon tax credit for compressed and liquefied natural gas when used as a vehicle fuel. This tax credit, which expired at the end of 2009, is retroactive for 2010.
• The investment tax credit for alternative vehicle refueling property, including natural gas stations. This covers 30% of the cost or USD 30.000, whichever is less. This credit also includes a USD 1.000 tax credit for a home refueling unit.
“At a time of very tight budgets, the inclusion of these tax incentives demonstrates Congress’ commitment to a growing natural gas vehicle industry,” says Richard Kolodziej, president of NGVAmerica. “Since natural gas vehicles reduce the use of foreign oil, reduce greenhouse gases and reduce air pollution, this legislation will help achieve all three of these national goals. And, importantly, this legislation will provide a significant boost to jobs throughout the natural gas vehicle field, not only in the production of natural gas but in the manufacture of the components that go into these vehicles, the manufacture of these vehicles, and the jobs that are created by building new natural gas stations.”
The natural gas vehicle tax credits, which expire at the end of the year, were not included in the legislation, but Kolodziej says the industry will work to reinstate them in the new Congress.
Since federal incentives were introduced in 2006, vehicular natural gas usage has increased 25 percent each year, displacing more than 320 million gallons of gasoline. With the continuation of these incentives, NGVAmerica expects that rate to continue to grow.

December 20, 2010. McDuffie County Schools will consider natural gas for buses.
McDuffie County Schools will consider natural gas as a bus fuel. The scope and timing of a test have yet to be determined, according to Superintendent Jim LeBrun.
Addressing a December 7 Board of Education work session, LeBrun said, "everything we're seeing in the literature, is once you have a natural gas vehicle the cost is about 50 percent of diesel." He said the school district could buy a bus built to run on natural gas, or could refit an older bus for that purpose.
The school district has authorized bids for four new 72 passenger buses. LeBrun said information has been mailed to five vendors, who will be notified of the option of bidding one bus to run on natural fuel. He also said he hopes to buy four buses each year. If the school district has enough natural gas buses, it might become advisable for the district to set up its own fuel pump, he said.
Transportation Director Henry Blount said the buses would have a fuel range of about 340 miles, enough for most field trips or for sports travel.
LeBrun said that with the changing cost of fuels, it would be wise to study the natural gas option. "As we now move into 2011 and into 2012, we need to have an open mind about what might be out there," he said.
Bus bids will be opened at the January 11 work session, and contracts can be awarded January 13.

December 17, 2010. Hertz to operate natural gas station at Los Angeles International Airport facility
One of the most active rental companies when it comes to adopting green technologies, Hertz announced today it would install a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station on its lot near the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), to be used by the public and the Hertz airport shuttle buses.
The fueling station will be supplied by Clean Energy, with the construction of the station itself expected to begin in March next year and conclude in the third quarter of the year. This station is only the first step towards Hertz's goal of having converted its entire LAX fleet to CNG-powered machines.
"Introducing CNG shuttle buses and fueling stations to support compressed natural gas is an integral part of Hertz's stewardship of the environment," commented Mark P. Frissora, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Hertz Corporation. "Partnering with Clean Energy reinforces our mission to minimize the environmental impact from our operations and we're excited to be able to support our shuttle fleet while also allowing other airport entities access to the CNG station."
The Hertz/Clean Energy CNG fueling station will be built adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The Hertz LAX facility will include public access fueling islands for local fleets of CNG taxis and shared-ride vans, plus hotel, parking, and rental car buses. A private Hertz island will be capable of fueling its internal fleet, simultaneously. Station construction is expected to begin in March and be completed by the third quarter of 2011. By 2015, Hertz expects to have transitioned its entire LAX transit bus fleet to clean, green, domestic CNG gas power.

December 14th, 2010. T. Boone Pickens said United States continues to pay for both sides of the war
In his monthly update on the level of foreign oil imports in the U.S., energy expert T. Boone Pickens said that based on the latest figures from the Federal Reserve Economic Database, the U.S. imported 57 percent of its oil, or 327 million barrels in November 2010, sending approximately $ 28 billion to foreign countries.
“With even more evidence that money spent on foreign oil is funding terrorism, it’s never been clearer that we’re paying for both sides of the war,” said Pickens. “Recently reported State Department cables show oil revenue in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates are the single biggest source of funding for terrorist groups like Al Qaeda. This is a critical national security issue.
“The U.S. Energy Information Administration just announced that OPEC oil revenues are expected to hit $750 billion this year, which is a 32 percent increase. And in 2011, we’ll see $ 100 oil. We simply cannot keep putting our country at risk by spending billions of dollars every month on foreign oil.
“If you’re going to solve the foreign oil crisis you must focus on transportation – using our own abundant natural gas resources to fuel heavy-duty trucks can immediately reduce our dependence on OPEC oil; improving our national security while strengthening our economy. It’s time for the American people to call their elected officials and tell them to act.”
The Pickens Plan to encourage more heavy-duty fleet vehicles to run on domestic resources has been included in several pieces of legislation introduced in the House and Senate.

December 14th, 2010. Yellow Cab of Greater Orange County awarded for its CNG fleet
The 2010 Anaheim Business Development Conference and Business Awards Luncheon hosted by the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce and the city of Anaheim showcased the business leaders who contribute to the productivity and diversity of the city.
In total, the Anaheim Chamber handed out 15 awards at the Business Awards Luncheon on November 10. Over the past few weeks, the Chamber has highlighted this year's award winners.
A family-operated business that started in Anaheim in 1945, Yellow Cab of Greater Orange County is committed to not only serving the community and providing jobs, but also to being a good corporate citizen by becoming involved in groups and charitable organizations.
Yellow Cab has gone to extreme efforts to be creative and innovative. It is the first taxicab company in the United States to install a fully computerized dispatch system with mobile data terminals, and it has been building a "green" fleet since the 1980s, operating the largest natural gas taxi fleet west of the Mississippi with 243 vehicles.

Although converting vehicles costs about $ 15.000 per car, the benefit is that each taxi will reduce greenhouse gas emissions over their seven-year life by 101.984 pounds.

December 10th, 2010. Plan to make hydrogen-powered vehicles and fueling infrastructure in Hawaii by 2015
Ten companies, agencies and universities have joined an initiative between The Gas Company (TGC), and General Motors to make hydrogen-powered vehicles and a fueling infrastructure a reality in Hawaii by 2015.
The plan, called the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative (H2I), aims to integrate hydrogen as an essential building block for Hawaii's sustainable energy ecosystem. The effort to reduce the state's 90 percent dependence on imported oil is expected to make hydrogen available to all of Oahu's 1 million residents by 2015. The goal is for 20 to 25 hydrogen stations to be installed in strategic locations around the island.
"Hydrogen, used as a fuel, will reduce our dependence on petroleum starting today," said Jeff Kissel, TGC president and CEO.
The plan builds on a May 2010 memorandum of understanding between TGC, one of Hawaii's major utilities, and GM. TGC today produces enough hydrogen to power up to 10.000 fuel cell vehicles and has the capacity to produce much more hydrogen. GM is a leader in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and fielded the world's largest fuel cell demonstration fleet – more than 100 vehicles – beginning in 2007.
The hydrogen initiative partners are evaluating methods to distribute hydrogen through existing natural gas pipelines, addressing the long-standing problem of how to cost effectively produce and distribute hydrogen.
In addition to GM and TGC, the hydrogen initiative partners include the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT); U.S. Department of Energy; FuelCell Energy; Aloha Petroleum Ltd; Louis Berger Group; U.S. Pacific Command, supported by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Army Pacific, and U.S. Marine Forces, Pacific; National Renewable Energy Laboratory; the County of Hawaii; University of California – Irvine, and the University of Hawaii.

December 13th, 2010. Starcraft chooses CNG route for type A school buses
Starcraft said it will take advantage of a deal with Ford and a a very well-established and nationally-known engine modifier to bring compressed natural gas (CNG) to the small school bus market next year.
While details had yet to be released, Starcraft GM David Wright said the deal will be similar to liquefied propane partnerships, one between Collins Bus Corporation, Clean Fuels USA and GM and the other between Micro Bird, Roush Performance and Ford, that are available to the industry. The third-party company utilized by Starcraft and certified by Ford will modify engine codes supplied by Ford for its gasoline engines.
The CNG chassis will require certification for Starcraft school buses and a full warranty by both Ford and the third-party prior to launch, Wright added.
Meanwhile, GM was set to announce this month a new CNG offering for its medium-duty commercial chassis but one that would not be certified for Type A school buses anytime soon, a company spokesman confirmed.

December 9th, 2010. Grants from the California Energy Commission for biomethane production
A Sacramento company is developing a landfill waste-to-fuel system that has caught the eye of the California Energy Commission and snagged more than $ 1.3 million in a grant from the commission.
The money goes to Clean World Partners, a Sacramento-based company managing anaerobic digestion systems that divert organic waste from landfills and convert it into clean transportation fuel and reusable by-products.
The grant will pay for studies for a biomethane production facility at Sacramento's Recycling and Transfer Station that is expected to produce more than 71 million cubic feet of compressed natural gas (CNG) each year.
The fuel will be used by the Yolo County Transit District's CNG bus fleet and will meet over two-thirds of its annual CNG demand. This amount of natural gas would displace 584.000 gallons of gasoline annually and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent when compared to gasoline, the commission says.
In addition, 36.500 tons of organic waste will be kept out of local landfills each year. The project will create 137 direct and 87 indirect jobs during the construction phase, and 16 full-time positions through 2030. Project participants will provide $ 1.852.100 in matching funds.
In another grant, the Energy Commission is giving just under $ 1.3 million to G4 Insights Inc. to test the feasibility of creating pipeline-quality natural gas from forest waste. Placer County will partner with the Canada-based company to test whether G4 Insight's promising low-temperature, thermo-chemical process can effectively convert woody biomass into biomethane that can be used for transportation and other uses.

December 8th, 2010. Republic Services unveils green and recycling CNG fleet additions
As part of its ongoing commitment to creating cleaner, greener communities, Republic Services has embarked on an exciting new venture to incorporate additional compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles into its collection fleet and has constructed a new materials recovery facility (MRF) to process recyclables.
The new trucks run on clean natural gas as they travel throughout the community to collect materials from homes and businesses. A long-time leader in protecting the environment, the Company is beefing up its Lakeland, Fla. truck fleet with the addition of 41 natural gas vehicles (NGV) and a natural gas fueling station. The Republic Services fleet currently operates 125 vehicles of which approximately one-third are powered by natural gas.
In addition to 41 new NGVs being delivered to Lakeland, Republic is adding 226 additional NGVs to its West Region this year. This will bring the total number of Republic’s alternative fuel vehicles to more than 500. The Company will also add fueling stations at five locations, including Lakeland. Vehicle chassis are built by Mack Trucks and the engines by Cummins Westport.
Using compressed natural gas helps lower harmful emissions like nitrogen oxides and particulate matter in the air. The new trucks will also reduce noise pollution.
Republic recently signed a renewable biomethane recovery agreement with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to process and sell renewable natural gas recovered from Republic’s Sauk Trail Hills Landfill site in Canton, Michigan. The renewable natural gas will be distributed for vehicle fuel use to Republic natural gas fleets.

December 7th, 2010. The city of Norman to build a compressed natural gas filling station
The city of Norman is moving ahead with its plans to build a compressed natural gas filling station on land it owns at the Max Westheimer airport.
During its regular meeting, the Norman City Council approved a $ 120.000 contract with a Missouri firm to design the filling station, which will be just the second in the city open to the public, Public Works Director Shawn O’Leary said. The filling station, which also will be used to fuel the city’s fleet of CNG vehicles, is expected to be finished in September 2011, O’Leary said.
City officials announced in late July that they’d netted a $ 945.000 grant from the state commerce department. O’Leary said the funds came from the massive stimulus bill signed by the president in early 2009. The city, which will donate some land and provide matching funds, will only be on the hook for about 10 percent of the $ 1.050.000 the project is expected to cost.
According to city documents, the filling station will include 15 slow-fill dispensers that’ll allow up to 30 CNG vehicles to gas up overnight. The station also will have an unspecified number of fast-fill dispensers and part of the facility will be open to the public. City documents show that annual fuel savings from its 19 CNG vehicles is about $ 52.000.
The public filling station also is projected to generate some revenue and documents show the city expects to see more federal and state incentives roll in as it acquires more CNG cars and trucks.

December 7th, 2010. Fiat studies CNG options for United States market
According to a Bloomberg report, Fiat executives, including chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne, are indicating that the OEM is looking seriously at the use of natural gas engines for some vehicles in the US market.
Constantinos Vafidis, responsible for transmission and hybrid development at Fiat's research centre in Turin, is quoted as saying natural gas is very suitable for the U.S., especially for public services and goods transportation, where vehicles are refuelled from a central base.
Marchionne, who is also chief executive officer of Chrysler Group LLC, is reported to have asserted that natural gas engines offer a better way to cut emissions because they are cheaper than competing technologies. He argues electric cars present too many obstacles such as the recharge time for batteries. Fiat's technological leadership in compressed natural gas in Europe is a key asset for the US natural gas-vehicle market, Marchionne was quoted as saying recently.
Giuliano Noci, a professor at the MIP management school of Milan's Polytechnic university, is quoted as saying “Fiat will use its technological leadership in natural gas, in a region discovered to have huge reserves. It's almost a mandatory strategy. Fiat should lead the natural-gas car market as it's far behind in the electric vehicle sector."
Alfredo Altavilla, head of Iveco, recently asserted that natural gas is a more affordable solution as it is less expensive to produce, transport and distribute compared with other fuel sources. He has estimated that the additional cost for an engine using natural gas is $ 3.000, compared with $ 3.300 for diesel and $ 8.000 for an electric hybrid.

December 6th, 2010. New compressed natural gas fueling station for the Perris Union High School District
The Perris Union High School District officially opened a new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station. The station includes 24 slow-fill fueling posts for school buses and a fast-fill dispenser that will serve the public and local agencies such as the city of Perris.
"We're very proud of this project," Perris Union Superintendent Jonathan Greenberg said. "It seems like we've been waiting forever to get this done and it's finally here."
Fuel at the public pump costs $ 2 per gallon, and the machine takes credit cards, school officials said.
The public access was a requirement of the funding the district received to help pay for the station, said Candace Reines, assistant superintendent for business services.
The $ 225.000 grant came from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, an agency that provides funding for projects that reduce air pollution from vehicles within the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The district includes portions of Riverside County.
The total cost of the fueling station was about $ 1.2 million, with the remaining funds coming from Perris Union, Reines said. School officials say the investment in CNG is worth it because the fuel is both cheaper than diesel and better for the environment.

December 3rd, 2010. The City of Grand Junction to showcase CNG project in National League of Cities event
The City of Grand Junction has been invited by the National League of Cities (NLC) to host two booths showcasing successful Grand Junction initiatives: Downtown (including the 7th Street and Colorado Avenue re-design projects, the Main Street Uplift, the parking garage and Art on the Corner) and the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) project.
The two were selected from among hundreds of applications across the nation to be represented in the “City Showcase” – an exposition of national best practices and successful ventures. Four City staff traveled to Denver to staff the booths during the Showcase.
The National League of Cities 2010 Congress of Cities & Exposition is being held at the Denver Convention Center from November 30 through December 4. Municipal officials from across the nation will be gathering to attend educational sessions and learn from experiences of other communities. The conference focuses solely on the concerns of cities, towns and villages from the perspectives of local elected leaders and municipal staff members.
The NLC provides the resources, connections and collective power to enable cities and towns to work toward solving America's civic and economic issues by advocating and applying for funding, building connections and developing knowledge in concert with thousands of colleagues from across the country.

December 2nd, 2010. Natural gas has a promising future, XTO president says
With natural gas prices persistently weak, many U.S. energy companies are feverishly pushing to make more attractively priced oil and natural gas liquids a bigger part of their production portfolios. But XTO Energy President Jack Williams said that the Fort Worth-based company' and its corporate parent, Exxon Mobil Corp., foresee a bright long-term future for natural gas as a cleaner-burning fossil fuel that will replace older coal-fired electric generation plants and increasingly could be used to power vehicle fleets such as Fort Worth's city buses, which run on compressed natural gas.
Natural gas "has tremendous potential to provide economic and environmental benefits to communities across this nation," Williams said at a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Petroleum Club in downtown Fort Worth.
Williams said XTO is producing nearly 900 million cubic feet of gas per day from North Texas' Barnett Shale, the largest gas-producing area in the nation. Irving-based Exxon Mobil, with its $ 36 billion acquisition of XTO in June, has become the largest natural gas producer in the United States.

December 1st, 2010. New England cab companies to add Ford Transit Connect CNG units to taxi fleets
Two Connecticut taxi operators are adding alternative fuel vehicles to their taxi fleets beginning with Ford Transit Connect Taxi CNG units.
Metro Taxi of West Haven, Conn., and The Yellow Cab Company of Bloomfield, Conn., each ordered 20 Transit Connect Taxis with CNG preparation engine packages – for a total of 40. Inter-State Ford in Hartford, Conn., is the delivering dealer for both operators. Ford announced the orders at the New England International Auto Show.
"We're migrating our fleets to alternative fuel vehicles, and Transit Connect Taxi with CNG is the perfect vehicle to start with," said Bill Scalzi, president of Metro Taxi. "CNG is the cleanest alternative fuel available, and the vehicle has great features for passenger comfort."
Marco Henry, president of The Yellow Cab Company, said the new Transit Connect Taxis with CNG will be added to his fleet of more than 100 taxi cabs.
The Connecticut operators are among several New England taxi operators who have recently ordered Transit Connects for their fleets. Both are active in their communities in environmental preservation and safe driving. Committing to operating CNG-powered taxi fleets is a major part of that effort.
In its customer research, Ford found that taxi operators such as Scalzi and Henry are not unique. Taxi operators around the country are asking for vehicles that run on alternative fuels. Therefore, Ford developed the Transit Connect Taxi with an engine prep package that allows conversion to both compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied propane gas (LPG). The vehicle's cargo area easily accommodates CNG tanks directly behind the second-row seat, still allowing ample luggage storage.

Both CNG and LPG lower taxi fleet operating costs and are better for the environment. Built on a dedicated commercial vehicle platform tested to meet Ford's light commercial vehicle durability standards, Ford's new Transit Connect Taxi also features a wiring upfit package, vinyl flooring and standard third-row windows – all of which are factory-installed. With its standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine and automatic transmission, the conventionally powered Transit Connect is expected to deliver an estimated 30 percent improvement in fuel economy versus many of today's traditional taxis.

November 30, 2010. Department of Energy backs wheelchair-accessible vehicle powered by natural gas
The Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu announced a $ 50 million conditional loan commitment for a startup called The Vehicle Production Group (VPG), which will use the funds to make a six-passenger, wheel chair-accessible car that has a natural gas fueling option, called the MV-1.
Four-year-old VPG says its MV-1 car is the only vehicle that has a factory built-in natural gas fueling option. In contrast, most of the small amount of natural gas cars on the roads are conversions.
VPG says on its website that final pricing of the MV-1 hasn’t been announced, but the base model is expected to come in under $ 40.000. The DOE says in its release on the loan that VPG will produce around 22.650 vehicles per year at the Mishawaka, Ind. AM General Plant, and the project will create more than 900 jobs.
The loan will come out of the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program, a coveted program which has doled out money to Tesla, Fisker Automotive, Nissan and Ford.

November 30, 2010. Dallas/Fort Worth Airport rolls out compressed natural gas buses
The airport rolled out 32 new compressed natural gas (CNG) buses that will shuttle passengers between the terminals and the airport's rental car center. Eventually the airport will have 46 CNG buses that will also take passengers to various parking lots at the airport.
Dallas/Fort Worth Airport executive vice president Jim Crites said with the new buses, the airport has converted over 95 percent of its vehicle fleet to alternative fuels.
The buses produce 95 percent less nitrogen oxide emissions and will save the airport about $ 250.000 a year in fuel costs, Crites said. He added that by reducing emissions by about 40 tons per year, the airport is doing its part "for our regional air quality effort."
The CNG station on 2425 Rental Car Center Drive will also sell CNG to the public who have vehicles that use CNG.

November 29, 2010. Encana to open its first natural gas vehicle fueling station
As part of Encana’s commitment to expanding the use of natural gas into transportation in North America, the natural gas producer will hold the grand opening of its first natural gas fueling station to power the company's vehicle fleet in Northern Louisiana.
With the advent of improved and proven natural gas technologies, progress is being made in the increased use of clean-burning natural gas to power America’s transportation sector. With more than 900 natural gas vehicles (NGV) fueling stations in the U.S. to date, this opening represents a first step in Encana's pursuit of making natural gas a more accessible alternative fuel source to petroleum.
The event takes place on November 30, 2010 at 1392 Highway 84 East (just east of the intersection of LA 1 & Highway 84) Coushatta, Louisiana.
Encana Corporation, one of North America’s leading independent natural gas companies, operates in the United States under its subsidiary, Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. and coordinates its operations from its U.S. headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Encana is proud to play a considerable role in natural gas exploration and production in the U.S. and in the discoveries of new fields. Encana has operations in Colorado, Louisiana, Texas and Wyoming.

November 25, 2010. New natural gas fueling station to serve the public in the City of Albany
National Grid and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) mark the opening of a new compressed natural gas fuelusing more than $ 2.5 million in the U.S. Department of Energy's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Clean Cities funding, to expand its clean vehicle capacity with the purchase of 33 compressed natural gas vehicles and, more importantly, open two new CNG fueling stations, one in Albany and the other in Syracuse. NYSERDA president and CEO Francis J. Murray says this a big step forward for motorists in having public access to fueling stations: "Across New York State, federal stimulus funds are helping to build a transportation system that emits fewer harmful emissions and is less dependent on imported petroleum. I commend the leaders of National Grid for their commitment to advancing clean fuels and vehicles, and thank Congressman Tonko and our congressional delegation for their work to secure these stimulus funds that will help improve both our economy and our environment."
The City of Albany is getting just over $ 102-thousand dollars to purchase 12 hybrid-electric vehicles. Mayor Jerry Jennings pointed out that the city already operates several CNG vehicles. Jennings said, "I am pleased to see NYSERDA and National Grid working together to open up CNG fueling stations for public use. I look forward to working with our partners to secure the funds necessary to incorporate CNG vehicles into our existing fleet, and I anticipate positive results for the entire community from this latest green initiative."
This is the eighth CNG fueling station in the Capital Region. Others open to the public include one in Albany and one in Rotterdam. Albany County Executive Mike Breslin says he's looking into adding CNG vehicles to the county fleet.
Congressman Paul Tonko said, "Congratulations to NYSERDA and National Grid for collaborating on a project which will help broaden our energy portfolio, provide economic benefits, and improve our environment. Because of The Recovery Act, we are moving forward with infrastructure improvements that are laying the groundwork for a clean energy future that will reduce our reliance on imported fuels."

ing station to serve the public in the City of Albany.
National Grid is November 26, 2010. Paper Transport saving $ 1/gallon with CNG powered Freightliners
Freightliner has reported two compressed natural gas (CNG) powered Business Class M2s operated by Paper Transport are saving the fleet more than $ 1/gallon in fuel costs as they reach the 130.000-mile mark. Paper Transport uses the two natural gas Freightliners on a route between Green Bay and Chicago.
"Fuel is the largest cost in our business, so being able to save that amount of money makes a big difference to our bottom line," said Jeff Shefchik, president, Paper Transport. "In fact, that's why we've just recently added five additional Freightliner CNG-powered trucks to our fleet."
The natural gas-powered Freightliners have Allison automatic transmissions. While their engines are smaller, Shefchik said the CNG trucks are popular with drivers.
"Lowering our fuel costs and benefiting the environment were the initial selling points of the CNG trucks, however, our drivers also really appreciate the M2 112's comfort and visibility," said Shefchik. "And, even though these trucks have smaller engines, their power has been great."
He also said the trucks have not experienced any problems related to startability or fuel gelling in cold weather.

November 26, 2010. EMTA receives grant to convert five buses to CNG
The project to convert five of the Endless Mountains Transportation Authority's (EMTA) 18-seat buses to compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel has taken a major step forward.
EMTA has been selected to receive a $ 750.000 grant from the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
EMTA is a partner with Chesapeake Energy and Dandy Mini Marts in the project, which will also see 50 vehicles from Chesapeake's local light-duty fleet converted to CNG. Dandy will construct a fueling station to serve them.
In his letter confirming the EMTA grant, David A. Althoff Jr., director of the DEP Bureau of Energy, Innovations, and Technology Deployment, congratulated the local public transportation system on becoming "a partner with DEP in our efforts to improve environmental quality throughout the Commonwealth."
Karen Melasecca, EMTA general manager, noted that the fueling station will be located at a site to be selected along the Route 220 corridor between Athens and Towanda, which is the most traveled route by EMTA's fleet. She also indicated that the project is targeted for completion by June 30, 2012.

November 23, 2010. $39.5 million Clean Cities Atlanta Petroleum Reduction Program gets underway
Atlanta is one step closer to reducing its dependence on foreign oil and improving fuel economy and air quality thanks to the Clean Cities Atlanta Petroleum Reduction Program, which is currently underway.
Project managers have been finalizing partner agreements and program elements since the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory announced the award of a $14.9 grant last fall as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The total $ 39.5 million program includes the DOE grant and an additional $24.5 million in local cost share funding provided by program partners.
The program, now in the implementation phase, will boost the supply of alternative fuels by constructing a Landfill Gas-to-Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion facility at a DeKalb County landfill and adding five CNG refueling stations and increased capacity at a sixth station in the metro Atlanta region. The project will further help to reduce the demand for petroleum-based fuels by deploying 200 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. Facility implementations and vehicle deployments will continue over the next two years. CNG stations implemented as part of this Clean Cities Atlanta program will be accessible to the public.
“DeKalb County is proud of our partnership with Clean Cities Atlanta and the guidance that Billy Malone, DeKalb's Director of Sanitation, gave to the process,” said Kathie Gannon, DeKalb County Commissioner, District 6. “The conversion of our landfill gas to clean transportation fuel is a huge economic and environmental win/win for our region.”
The public/private partnership, managed by Clean Cities Atlanta includes DeKalb County, City of Atlanta/Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Center for Transportation and the Environment, City of College Park, Coca-Cola Refreshments (CCR) - a division of The Coca-Cola Company, The Parking Spot, PS Energy Group, Inc., Sustainable Atlanta and United Parcel Service (UPS).
“We are pleased to be a part of this important sustainability program. Moving toward an all-CNG-fueled Airport shuttle bus fleet is an important step in reducing the city’s overall carbon footprint. And it brings us closer to the overall goal of having 12 percent of the city fleet operate on alternative fuels,” said Louis Miller, Aviation General Manager at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
A public education campaign focused on alternative fuel technologies and vehicles will be driven by Clean Cities Atlanta and sub-recipient partners to demonstrate the financial viability of the LFG – CNG business model as well as the economic and environmental effectiveness of CNG and hybrid vehicles in delivery, passenger shuttle and municipal fleet operations.

November 22, 2010 .Blue Water Area Transit invests in infrastructure for the use of gas vehicles
An infusion of $1.3 million in federal money will help Blue Water Area Transit stay on the green path. A portion of the money, channeled through the Clean Fuels Grant Program of the Federal Transit Administration, will pay for a new natural gas compressor to replace the authority's oldest existing unit.
However, the bus service's general manager, Jim Wilson, was particularly pleased with the secondary grant, which will pay for new portable refueling stations, soon to be situated in Marine City and Yale.
The ability to add fueling stations will boost overall savings for the bus service, he said. That's because it will boost the authority's ability to use relatively inexpensive, eco-friendly fuel.
It "will allow us to top off our buses in the remote areas and have fewer incidences of running out of fuel," Wilson said. "It will reduce costs for us and for the Council on Aging and improve air quality."
Using compressed natural gas has been an important way for the transit system to save money, Wilson said. "For us, it certainly has been great," Wilson said. "The price at the public pump is $ 1.95 per gasoline gallon equivalent."
The authority's refueling resources are open to the public, and vehicles that use CNG may be fueled at 2021 Lapeer Ave., Port Huron, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
"This is a wonderful use of federal dollars to expand the local infrastructure that helps us improve air quality," Linda Bruckner, Blue Water Area Transportation Commission Board vice chair and Fort Gratiot Township trustee, said in the news release. "This focus on several isolated pockets will allow us to better serve the whole county."

November 19, 2010. San Diego International Airport debuts new natural gas shuttles
San Diego International Airport introduced a new fleet of more sustainable and customer-friendly parking shuttles today, featuring new amenities and cleaner-burning engines powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). The event also showcased the new vehicle graphics displayed on the airport’s free inter-terminal passenger shuttle, formerly the Red Bus, now called the Airport Loop.
The new fleet transports passengers between the terminals and the airport’s nearby SAN Park parking lots. Each vividly colored green, orange and blue parking shuttle features exterior San Diego themed graphics to help customers identify with which shuttle to take. Low floors and kneeling capabilities as well as wheelchair lifts help make getting on and off easier for passengers.
“The airport is committed to finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Jim Myhers, Manager of Ground Transportation for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “In addition to these new shuttles, we’ll continue to work with those who do business at the airport, including airlines and airport cab operators, to convert their vehicles to use more sustainable sources of fuel.”
The shuttles help round out the airport’s total fleet of parking shuttles to 24, all running on the clean-burning alternative fuel. In addition to the parking shuttles, the airport currently uses other alternative fuel vehicles, including those powered by electricity and bio-fuel.
The airport also unveiled its newly branded Airport Loop shuttle service. The shuttles provide free, frequent transportation between terminals.

November 17, 2010. Shreveport businessmen heard about benefits of natural gas vehicles
North Shreveport Business Association members heard about the benefits of compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative fuel during the group's annual Thanksgiving dinner Tuesday.
Sarie Joubert, of Chesapeake Energy, led the discussion at Louisiana Technical College in Shreveport. "Only one alternative fuel can take you from a Ford Focus to an 18-wheeler," she said. "And that's natural gas. You can't put a battery in an 18-wheeler and get it going down the road."
CNG has become more popular in northwest Louisiana since the discovery of the Haynesville Shale natural gas deposit. Currently, there are seven CNG fueling stations open or soon to be open in the area, including the public station on Texas Street in Bossier City. Four dealerships in the area service CNG vehicles — Chevyland, Wray Ford, Mansfield Auto World and Rountree Ford.
Additionally, there are two conversion centers. Steelweld Equipment Company converts medium and light duty vehicles, while Twin State Trucks specializes in heavy duty vehicles, like dump trucks and school buses.

November 16, 2010. Freightliner delivers first turnkey CNG truck with vacuum body
Freightliner Trucks has delivered what it claims to be the first turnkey natural gas truck upfitted with a vacuum body. Developed in collaboration with VAC-CON, the Freightliner Business Class M2 112V compressed natural gas (CNG) truck will also be equipped with a CNG-powered auxiliary-mounted engine that powers the truck's water system.
Jacksonville, Fla.-based VAC-CON provides combination sewer cleaners to municipal and private markets throughout the world. Its combination cleaners are designed to combine high-pressure water and vacuum systems to clean both sanitary and storm drainage infrastructure. VAC-CON tapped Freightliner Trucks to develop the CNG truck based on its ability to fulfill VAC-CON's unique spec's and need for a turnkey chassis solution.
The truck will include an Allison 3000RDS transmission with patented torque converter technology, with officials say was designed for improved startability at the launch of the vehicle, full power shifts, and a better performing engine. They say the Freightliner M2 112V also features a 2.500-square-inch windshield, improved manoeuvrability, and a roomy interior.
"VAC-CON strives to provide our customers with the best blend of cleaning equipment and chassis, and because our focus is on the cleaning equipment, it makes our relationship with Freightliner Trucks extremely important," said Tom Jody, marketing manager for VAC-CON. "The CNG project was truly a partnership and we look forward to continuing our work with Freightliner to further refine this and other natural gas products."

November 12, 2010. Utah company to begin production of CNG kits for General Motors
A Utah company is beginning production of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle conversion systems that General Motors will use on vans coming off an Indiana assembly line. Alternative Vehicle Solutions, located in a warehouse at 225 W. 2950 South just west of the TRAX line in South Salt Lake, celebrated its grand opening Tuesday.
The plant assembles parts that enable GM to quickly switch Express and Savana vans to natural gas when a customer orders one equipped for the clean-burning alternative fuel. The process doesn’t require drilling any new holes or otherwise altering the frame. Instead, crews just snap into place a new manifold, fuel-intake valve and computer connections to govern CNG fuel injection and gauging.
The opportunity arose because GM wanted to restart dormant alternative-fuel programs without going to the expense of creating its own CNG division for a relatively small market segment, said Scott Brandeberry, vice president of the start-up company.
Alternative Vehicle Solutions currently employs 11 — mostly college-educated workers such as engineers — and likely will add 10 more in coming months, he said. GM’s vans are a good start because business fleets often order fleets of CNG vehicles for cheaper operation, Brandeberry said, but the company also will sell conversion kits for many existing GM vehicles beyond the van lines.
Those Environmental Protection Agency-approved kits will continue to cost $ 8.000 or more per vehicle, but Brandeberry said they would save up to 11 hours of installation labor because they don’t require drilling, soldering or other alterations to the vehicles.
Alternative Vehicle Solutions is developing a kit to match Fords, as well.

November 11, 2010. LAUSD opens compressed natural gas fueling station in Gardena
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) officials and dignitaries from the Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVAmerica), Trillium USA, South Coast Air Quality Management District and Sempra Energy gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the LAUSD’s new upgraded compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility, located in the City of Gardena.
LAUSD Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines said alternative fueled buses improve air quality, reduce global warming gas emissions and are investments that safeguard students from breathing toxic diesel exhaust. He added that they are excited to support those technologies that help to provide students and their community with a healthy environment.
The new fueling facility supports 317 CNG school buses. The first fueling station was established in 2001 and supported 97 CNG buses. LAUSD has another CNG site in the Valley capable of fueling another 100 CNG school buses. The LAUSD has always been driven by an effort to ensure safe transportation for its students, and has incorporated a comprehensive alternative fuel program to this effort. Recently, LAUSD was recognized with the national Government Green Fleet™ Award, the only school district included among the top 40 government fleets in the country.
The District was also honored by the natural gas vehicle industry for its efforts to advance the development of natural gas vehicles in the United States. The school district has the largest natural gas school bus fleet in the nation. The District received a 2010 NGV Achievement Award for its efforts to green its school bus fleet with natural gas. The 2010 National NGV Achievement Award was presented by NGVAmerica and the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation, two organizations dedicated to increasing the use of natural gas vehicles to improve air quality, lessen dependence on foreign oil and reduce fleet operator costs.

November 9, 2010. ATA to offer free training on hybrids, CNG and biodiesel technology
The Automotive Training Authority (ATA) is offering free green aftermarket training courses on hybrid, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and biodiesel/clean diesel technology. The courses, geared toward automotive repair shop owners, technicians and fleet maintenance managers, are made possible through a Federal alternative fuel training grant.
Course topics include:

•Understanding Hybrid Service and Technology
•ATA's Advanced Toyota Hybrid Diagnostics
•Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
•Biodiesel/Clean Diesel Technology

"The Federal grant program allows ATA to offer training at no cost to automotive service professionals with the goal of preparing them to work on alternative fuel vehicles, either now or in the future," said Lindsey.
The hybrid courses provide a clear understanding of hybrids and how to perform advanced hybrid diagnostics to fully service these vehicles; the biodiesel workshop covers the production of biodiesel and clean diesel technology and the CNG courses focus on safety and maintenance, Lindsey added.
Automotive Training Authority provides automotive professionals nationwide with both hands-on and instructor-led training classes. The firm offers popular, technical courses lead by industry respected instructors covering topics from Hybrid Service and Technology, ABS Brakes and Advanced OBDII to Mode 6 Diagnostics, Electronic Computer Controls and Fuel Injection. Classes are designed to present complex information and techniques in a simple and straightforward way.

November 4, 2010. U.S. natural gas adoption lags Europe, Asia
The United States is a laggard in the adoption of natural gas vehicles despite increasing growth internationally, says Graham Mattison, an Analyst with Lazard Capital Markets. While Congress debates whether to pass the NAT GAS Act, companies wait on the sidelines for government incentives to boost demand for natural gas vehicles.
“In the U.S. market, really the obstacle is the NAT GAS Act and the uncertainty around it. We’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting, so if you’re an owner who is looking to purchase natural gas vehicle trucks, you’re wondering, ‘Do I order now? But then if I order now, am I going to miss having better credits two months from now?,’” Mattison says. “Basically it’s frozen the market; everyone is sitting on their hands to see what happens.”
While the U.S. market is on hold, Mattison points to several North American companies that are positioning