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Natural Gas Fleet Experiences

Sunnyvale Served by CNG Refuse Haulers

Last Updated: July 07, 2008
California-based Specialty Solid Waste and Recycling (SSWR) is replacing its diesel refuse haulers with those that run on compressed natural gas (CNG). Of its fleet of 37 vehicles that provide trash collection service for the City of Sunnyvale, California, 30 are powered by CNG.

SSWR made a corporate decision in partnership with the City of Sunnyvale to adopt CNG to meet the conditions of the California Air Resources Board refuse rule, which requires particulate filter traps on diesel trucks. Fleets made up of 50% or more alternative fuel vehicles were exempted from the diesel rule until January 1, 2010. "Liquid natural gas was less widely available in California, so we looked to compressed natural gas," says Jerry Nabhan, SSWR general manager.

Good pipeline gas pressure at the company's Santa Clara site allowed SSWR to build and operate a CNG refueling station that is accessible to the public 24 hours a day. The station installation cost approximately $500,000, which was partially offset with $200,000 provided by the California Energy Commission.

SSWR also receives grants from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) that help cover the $60,000 incremental costs of a CNG truck over a diesel one. With current CNG prices around $2.70 and the grants from TFCA, SSWR estimates that the payback period is about a year and a half per truck. The CNG refuse vehicles, which feature Cummins Westport 8.9-liter engines and Autocar chassis on Heil or Labrie bodies, drive 275,000 route miles per year and use 172,000 gasoline gallon equivalents of CNG annually.

According to Nabhan, there were some initial concerns about truck performance that proved to be unfounded. "Our city is relatively flat so the trucks have had no performance problems," Nabhan says. "With today's price of diesel at $4.88 and the price of natural gas at $2.70, we're glad we made the choice to go with natural gas."

Nabhan says his drivers like the natural gas trucks because there's no diesel smell, and the trucks are much quieter. Maintenance on the CNG trucks is a bit different than on diesel trucks, Nabhan says. For example, each truck's six spark plugs are replaced every six months at a cost of about $400 per truck. In addition, the trucks are tested for leaks every 90 days and tanks are pressure tested every three years.

"We're proud of our decision to go with natural gas. It's been good for our business and good for the community," Nabhan says. Interested visitors from several California communities as well as New York, Taiwan, and France have visited Sunnyvale to learn about SSWR's success with CNG refuse vehicles.

Contact Jerry Nabhan, SSWR general manager, 408-566-1809.

Mineta San Jose Airport Expands CNG Service

Last Updated: April 16, 2008
The Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) received the 2007 National Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) Achievement Award from the NGVAmerica for SJC's efforts toward making compressed natural gas (CNG) its primarily alternative fuel of choice. For example, by mid-2008, all of SJC's shuttle buses will be CNG. The airport's Alternative Fuels Program (AFP) has significantly improved air quality and reduced fuel costs of its ground transportation operations.

In 2008, airport management announced two new projects to encourage more public use of the airport's CNG fueling facility. One project involves encouraging more private taxis and shuttles operating at the airport to convert from gasoline and diesel to CNG through SJC's innovative $154,000 Alternative Fuels Grant Program (AFGP). The AFGP provides grants of $4,000 per taxi and $8,000 per shuttle van as incentives for CNG vehicle conversion. Since 2005, the airport has been conducting outreach to encourage taxi and shuttle van owners to convert to CNG via innovative incentives. Taxicab companies operating at SJC have placed 130 CNG taxis into service out of the airport?s permitted fleet of 300 taxicabs, according to airport spokesman David Vossbrink.

The second project will entail the airport to spend an estimated $727,000 to upgrade the airport's CNG fueling station that has been in operation since 2003. The CNG station upgrade project will double the station's capacity to dispense 4 million gallons of CNG per year, enough to service all of the airport's shuttle bus fleet, all City of San Jose CNG vehicles, any new City CNG vehicles, all CNG taxis and door-to-door shuttle vans operating at the airport, as well as other public/private CNG fleets desiring to embrace SJC's AFP.

The projects will be partially funded by a $606,000 grant from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. For more information, contact Tom Stoflet, Environmental Manager, Mineta San Jose International Airport.

Los Angeles Clean Fueling Station Supplies LNG and CNG

Last Updated: December 18, 2007
On August 30, 2007 a new combined liquefied natural gas (LNG) and fast-fill compressed natural gas (L/CNG) clean fueling facility opened in South Los Angeles. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was on hand to explain how the station will help serve the City's growing fleet of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), which now includes 307 LNG solid refuse collection trucks, 54 CNG street sweepers, and various other city-owned AFVs. Los Angeles has the largest municipally-owned alternative fuel solid refuse collection fleet in the U.S. The South LA Fueling Station has a storage capacity of 45,000 gallons of LNG, and is the third in a series of similar stations. The first two stations were constructed in the West San Fernando Valley (45,000 gal.) and East Valley (60,000 gal.). All 3 stations were partially funded using $450,000 in Clean Cities U.S. Department of Energy grant awards received through the California Energy Commission. A fourth station is operating in the Harbor area, at a 6,000-gallon capacity.

The project took over 18 months to build. The station was then put into demonstration/testing mode for 8 months prior to the grand opening. The greatest challenge during the project was the site preparation and cleanup required prior to construction. Some 27,000 tons of contaminated soil were removed and cleaned up over a period of three months at a cost of $330,000.

A total of over $15 million in grants have been secured by the Environmental Affairs Department to help the City's solid resources collection fleet grow in size, and over 4 million gallons of diesel have been displaced since 2000, when the City started using LNG and L/CNG in its alternative fuel in its solid resources collection fleet.

For more information view the PDF about the South Los Angeles Clean Fuel Fleet Project. PDF 586 KB

UPS Adds 306 Alternative Fuel Vehicles to Fleet

Last Updated: November 13, 2007
UPS placed an order for 167 CNG delivery trucks and took delivery of 139 new propane delivery trucks for its North American delivery service. In addition, the company has launched an initiative to use biodiesel fuel in its ground support vehicles at its air hub in Louisville, Ky.UPS's worldwide AFV fleet includes 1,629 vehicles, the largest such private fleet in the transportation industry. The fleet includes CNG, LNG, propane, electric, and hybrid electric vehicles. UPS already operates 800 CNG delivery trucks in the U.S. and plans to locate the new CNG vehicles in Dallas; Atlanta; Los Angeles; Ontario, Calif.; San Ramon, Calif.; and Fresno, Calif. The propane vehicles will join the nearly 600 propane trucks already operating in Canada and Mexico. "While there's a great deal of interest in the research we're doing with new types of hybrids, 70 years of testing alternative fuel vehicles has taught us there are multiple technologies that can effectively reduce our dependence on fossil fuels as well as our carbon footprint," said Robert Hall, UPS's director of vehicle engineering. "Adding this many propane and CNG vehicles is going to have a very positive impact."The propane and CNG trucks currently in the UPS fleet were converted from gasoline and diesel vehicles in the 1980s to run on alternative fuels. The new trucks are originally manufactured for alternative fuel use. The chassis for the CNG trucks are being purchased in two sizes from Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation. The trucks will feature engines from Cummins Westport that are expected to yield a 20% emissions reduction and 10% improvement in fuel economy over the cleanest diesel engines available in the market today.The new propane-powered vehicles were manufactured by Workhorse Custom Chassis and feature the latest technology in clean burning propane engines provided by Baytech Corporation. Propane vehicles emit about one-third fewer reactive organic gases than gasoline fueled vehicles. Nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions also are 20% and 60% less, respectively, than conventional vehicles.The biodiesel initiative in Louisville is being funded with the support of a $515,000 federal grant that is helping to offset some of the cost of building a fuel infrastructure at the airport. The infrastructure will provide B5, a 5% biodiesel blend, to operate 366 UPS ground support vehicles starting early in 2008.

Salt Lake City International Airport

Last Updated: September 27, 2007
The Salt Lake City International Airport is a major western U.S. hub serving 18 airlines that operate 450 scheduled daily departures. Its location within the city limits of Salt Lake City puts it in an EPA air quality nonattainment area for particulate matter. The airport has instituted a Clean Fuel Program in an effort to reduce airport vehicle emissions by using alternative fuels.

The airport parking shuttle fleet includes 13 35-foot buses and six 40-foot buses that are CNG powered. Due to a recent rapid growth in airport parking, the airport purchased five used diesel buses that are running on B20 biodiesel. Altogether, the fleet operates 24 hours a day and travels more than 600,000 miles per year.

The airport has begun to replace its aging 35-foot buses and the five diesel powered buses with a fleet of 19 40-foot low-floor CNG buses. The rest of the airport fleet consists of 96 light-duty vehicles (49 CNG, 10 electric, 8 hybrid, and 39 biodiesel) along with the CNG buses and three CNG heavy-duty trucks. Through these combined efforts, the airport has reduced its regulated emissions output by approximately 17,498 pounds per year when compared to a similarly sized fleet running on gasoline and diesel.

The airport also has CNG fueling infrastructure as the result of the combined efforts of the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program, Utah Clean Cities, Salt Lake City Corporation, Questar Energy Services, Utah Energy Office, Utah LP Gas, and Utah Hotel & Lodging Association. The fueling facility was positioned to accommodate the airport's CNG fleet as well as private ground transportation providers. It is open 24 hours a day and is also available to the public.

The airport offers private ground shuttle companies a $2,500 credit for driving an alternative fuel vehicle on airport property and using the passenger pickup restricted access lane. By working together with private fleets and the public, Salt Lake City International Airport has succeeded in its quest for clean air through the use of alternative fuels and vehicles.

For more information about alternative vehicles at the Salt Lake City International Airport, contact Ed Napier at ed.napier@slcgov.com.

Valley Metro Transit

Last Updated: September 21, 2007
Valley Metro Transit, the regional transit system for metropolitan Phoenix, serves 50 million passengers per year and operates one of the nation's largest fleets of natural gas transit buses. The transit service operates a fleet of 70% liquefied natural gas (LNG) buses and 30% ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) buses. Valley Metro uses 8.5 million gallons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and 900,000 gallons of compressed natural gas (CNG) annually. The buses are owned by the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, and Scottsdale and the Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA). "We have learned that alternative fuel vehicles are more costly to purchase, operate, and maintain," says Glenn Kelly, procurement manager for the City of Phoenix, "but the benefits include reducing carbon-based pollutants from our air and having more than one fuel source available to us. We have also seen an improvement in the public's perception of mass transit and an improvement in ridership."An increase in natural gas buses translates into a need for more fueling stations. The cities of Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, and the RPTA have joined to establish LNG/LCNG fueling infrastructure. These members of Valley Metro Transit have made significant commitments in alternative fuel infrastructure and natural gas buses. Contact Glenn Kelly by email at glenn.kelly@phoenix.gov.

Airport Shuttles Go All Natural in Portland, Oregon

Last Updated: September 21, 2007
The Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon uses several alternative fuels, including compressed natural gas (CNG); E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline); propane (LPG); B20 biodiesel (20% biodiesel and 80% conventional diesel); and hybrid electric vehicles, in its fleet. PDX began replacing conventional petroleum diesel buses with CNG-fueled buses in 1997 and currently has 26 shuttle buses, three heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), three off-road vehicles, and 18 light-duty vehicles (LDVs) that are fueled with CNG. PDX also has five off-road vehicles (OHVs) that are fueled with propane (LPG), two flexible-fuel vehicles fueled with E85, and six hybrid LDVs. PDX has fueled its diesel vehicles with B20 since 2002 and currently operates 18 HDVs, 35 OHVs, and three sweeper vehicles on B20.

PDX installed fueling infrastructure to meet all its alternative fuel needs. The airport currently has CNG, LPG, E85, and B20 fueling stations on property, but cannot sell fuel to other fleets or the public because of access limitations. Larry Medearis, aviation senior manager, Maintenance & Facility Services, points to lower emissions, better relations with the environmental community, and longer operational life, which means more miles between rebuilds, as advantages to the alternative fuel fleet. Last year PDX consumed 276,500 gasoline gallon equivalents of CNG to fuel its fleet of 50 CNG vehicles.

PDX is studying the option to start replacing its CNG shuttle buses with new hybrid diesel-electric buses, and plans to continue using its other current AFVs. For more information, visit the PDX Web site.

San Marcos Unified School District

Last Updated: August 27, 2007
The San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD), located in north San Diego County, California, currently uses 13 compressed natural gas (CNG) school buses in its fleet. The school district started using CNG school buses in 1999 when the district decided to begin using alternative fuel vehicles. The district currently operates Bluebird and Thomas buses that are equipped with John Deere CNG engines.

SMUSD also has a CNG fueling station on site. The infrastructure consists of four large compressors, 12 slow-fill pumps, and one fast-fill pump. The school district has discovered that the CNG fuel is a little cheaper than diesel and that government rebates help reduce operational costs. According to Transportation Coordinator Mike Sawyer, there is very little performance difference between the CNG buses and conventional diesel buses, and being able to fuel on site is convenient.

The CNG-fueled buses involve a slight increase in maintenance because the engines run at a higher temperature than conventional diesel buses. Some of the buses have also had bad sensors that caused problems.

For more information about SMUSD and its alternative fuel use, visit the SMUSD Web site.

Santa Fe Trails Transit System

Last Updated: August 27, 2007
Santa Fe Trails Transit System (SFT) is a division of the Public Works Department of the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It has operated alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet since 1992. SFT currently operates 35 transit-style buses and one light-duty vehicle (LDV) fueled with compressed natural gas (CNG). SFT also has two LDVs that operate on biodiesel. All the buses are 32 feet long and are equipped with John Deere CNG engines. SFT has a CNG fueling station on site and has recently opened the station to allow public use.

The SFT fleet has traveled more than 5 million miles. "The CNG buses are reliable, have cleaner burning engines, increased oil life, and lower fuel costs than diesel," said James Dillingham, fleet and facilities manager. "We have had just one engine failure that resulted in an engine rebuild." SFT plans to continue using CNG transit buses and to purchase six new CNG transit buses in 2007-2008 to replace some of the older models. SFT is also researching hybrid (electric/diesel) transit buses and hopes to use biodiesel instead of conventional petroleum diesel in the hybrids.

For more information, visit the SFT Web site.

Tulsa Public Schools Ride on CNG

Last Updated: August 27, 2007
Several successful bond issues and zero-interest loans from the State of Oklahoma enabled Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) to convert 24 conventional school buses to compressed natural gas (CNG) in 1990. In 1997, TPS was awarded a U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program Special Projects grant, which also helped TPS fund its alternative fueled fleet program. Oklahoma Natural Gas partnered with TPS and to help add an additional 40 school buses and 30 medium/heavy-duty vehicles (MD/HDVs) to their fleet. "The funding from the government has made implementing CNG vehicles into our fleet a very rewarding process," said Jim Taylor, TPS transportation in-house supervisor.

TPS currently operates 40 CNG school buses, 30 MD/HDVs, and 12 light-duty vehicles (LDVs) on CNG and consumes more than 200,000 gasoline gallon equivalents of CNG every year. TPS has a CNG fueling station on site, which is equipped with four large compressors that can fuel 380 CNG vehicles (slow fill); four fast-fill stations are also integrated into the infrastructure. CNG vehicles have lower emissions and lower operating costs because the fuel is significantly cheaper than diesel. The school district also uses other alternative fuels. It operates all 285 of its conventional petroleum diesel buses with biodiesel (B20), and would like to add an electric bus for testing.

For more information, visit the TPS Transportation Web page.

Seattle Tacoma International Airport

Last Updated: August 22, 2007
In 2001, the Port of Seattle Aviation Division adopted a fleet vehicle purchase policy that required the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), whenever feasible and practical, to replace conventional petroleum vehicles. The Seattle Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport's fleet is currently composed of 60 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, including 16 buses and 41 light-duty vehicles (LDVs)--all of which display the slogan "Doing our share for cleaner air naturally." Sea-Tac's fleet also includes seven propane LDVs, nine hybrid LDVs and 91 ground support units that operate on electricity. In 2005, the Sea-Tac Airport received the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Excellence Award in recognition of the implementation of air quality programs such as the fleet vehicle purchase policy.

The Port required airport taxi and shuttle services to switch to CNG vehicles. Shuttle Express currently has 27 CNG shuttle vans serving the airport. Shuttle Express operates more than 33% of its total trip mileage using the CNG vans. The Seattle-Tacoma International Taxi Association operates all of its 166 taxi cab fleet with CNG-fueled Ford Crown Victorias. The Port of Seattle's Air Quality Web site reports that the CNG fleet is expected to produce 149 fewer tons of carbon monoxide and 24 fewer tons of oxides of nitrogen each year compared to conventional vehicles.

The Port partnered with Clean Energy to install, operate, and maintain a full-service CNG fueling station at Sea-Tac, which is open to the public and operates 24 hours a day. Sea-Tac currently has plans to add an additional public CNG fueling station, as well as increase the number of CNG buses in its fleet.

For more information, contact Russ Simonson, senior environmental program manager, Port of Seattle, Aviation Division, at simonson.r@portseattle.org.

Unitrans Moves Passengers With CNG

Last Updated: August 22, 2007
Unitrans, a student-run transit system that serves the University of California at Davis and the City of Davis, currently operates 27 compressed natural gas (CNG) transit buses, five CNG shuttle buses, two electric light-duty vehicles, 11 medium- and heavy-duty CNG vehicles, and four light-duty CNG-powered vehicles. Unitrans is among the first fleets in the nation to develop a transit bus that will operate on a hydrogen/CNG mixture; the company plans to begin testing by the end of 2007. Two hundred student employees and 14 career employees run the system, which transports 20,000 passengers each weekday (more than 3 million annually). About 95% of Unitrans' mileage is driven by alternative fuel buses.

Unitrans currently has its own CNG fueling station and plans to complete a new hydrogen/CNG refueling station, as well. "CNG compressors and related equipment are best protected from the elements within an enclosed structure. Completing the planned blended hydrogen/CNG fueling station has been very difficult because local safety personnel have required a wide array of safety elements that were not anticipated during the planning phase," explains General Manager Geoff Straw. "It seems that we're establishing new protocols due to the unique nature of the project. For this reason, the hydrogen compressor had to be located outside the existing CNG compressor/equipment building, which has delayed completion of the project for the past two years."

In addition to the CNG/hydrogen start up challenges, Straw indicated that "the technological learning curve was steep for our technicians. In fact, many of my peers in the transit industry and I are having difficulty finding trained compressed-fuel technicians." Two additional factors have surfaced in the process of operating a CNG fleet. Planning has had to include the increased capital costs of operating CNG vehicles due to the 15-year life of the vehicle's CNG fueling tanks. "We have two options when the CNG tanks have reached their maximum operational life. We can replace the tanks (about $75K per vehicle) or replace the vehicle entirely, both of which require large amounts of funds. With a conventional diesel vehicle, we can replace old/dirty engines with newer/cleaner diesel engines and the bus can operate for a much longer time with little financial investment." Another important factor is the limited number of CNG engine manufacturers in the transit market. Straw indicates that "some of us who have invested in CNG infrastructure are concerned about future pricing and support."

Despite these challenges, Unitrans is committed to clean technology and has selected CNG as its fuel of choice. "The low per-mile fuel cost of natural gas is attractive. It's a proven technology and we've had 12 years of experience with it." says Straw.

Contact Unitrans at http://unitrans.ucdavis.edu/ or Geoff Straw at gdstraw@ucdavis.edu.

Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph

Last Updated: August 22, 2007
In 1999, the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Cleveland, Ohio, purchased a Honda Civic GX, a sedan fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG). The sisters later expanded their alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) fleet by purchasing an additional 11 Honda Civic GXs. "Some benefits of using CNG include creating a cleaner environment and ensuring more stability in the price of fuel compared to gasoline," according to Sister Mary Schrader. "The AFVs have also served as an effective educational tool." The congregation is active in several community organizations and uses the vehicles to promote alternative forms of transportation to its members and local residents.

The congregation received assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy to install a slow-fill FuelMaker to fuel the vehicles. The FuelMaker system allows four vehicles to simultaneously fuel overnight using the congregation's current CNG infrastructure. The sisters estimate that the fuel costs around $1.10 per gasoline gallon equivalent of CNG. "The FuelMaker is convenient because it allows us to fuel the vehicles overnight when they are not needed, and every morning we have a full tank of fuel. It did not require any modifications to our current natural gas system, which significantly lowered the cost of installation," Schrader says.

The congregation recently added 16 Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles to its fleet. "We continue to use the CNG vehicles on a regular basis," says Schrader. "We purchased the hybrids because they fit some of our congregation's driving patterns better than the Civics. We also wanted to continue purchasing environmentally responsible vehicles, and we decided it would be more beneficial for us to experiment with the new hybrid technology," explained Schrader. The congregation currently has plans to purchase more hybrid vehicles as well as continuing to use the CNG Civic GXs.

For more information about the environmental efforts of the Sisters of St. Joseph, visit their Web site at http://www.csjcleveland.org or contact Sister Jan Henniger at jhenniger@csjoseph.org.

CNG Shuttles Become Hit of the Party

Last Updated: August 22, 2007
A fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) airport shuttle buses has taken on a new life, resulting in even more CNG use in St. Louis, Missouri. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, a St. Louis Clean Cities stakeholder, recently sold five of its CNG shuttle buses at auction as part of its standard three-year turn-around cycle for shuttles. (The airport replaced the vehicles with new CNG shuttles.) The good news for St. Louis: The buses were bought by Windows on Washington, a popular restaurant and banquet facility in the Washington Avenue Downtown District.

Windows on Washington uses the shuttles to transport guests to and from downtown parking lots and hotels to the banquet and restaurant facilities. The CNG choice made sense for the banquet facility. "CNG is environmentally prudent and a patriotic American response [to energy concerns]," says Windows on Washington owner Tom Klein. And he says the clean running buses are very popular. "We receive compliments from passengers, drivers, downtown corporate and residential neighbors, other employees, and even the Metropolitan St. Louis Taxi Cab Commission."

The shuttle drivers fuel the vehicles with the FuelMaker owned by Windows on Washington and at the Laclede Gas Company Public Fueling Facility in St. Louis.

Garbage Fumes Fuel LNG Transit Buses

Last Updated: June 11, 2007
Washington-based Prometheus Energy and Bowerman Landfill in Orange County, Calif., are turning landfill gas (LFG) into liquefied natural gas (LNG) that will soon be used power local transit buses and garbage trucks.

Completed in December 2006, the new plant--the first of its kind--is currently producing about 1,000 gallons of LNG per day and expects to increase daily production to 5,000 gallons during its first phase. At this production level, the plant will reduce carbon dioxide output by the equivalent of 10,000 tons per year.

As landfill materials decompose, methane is generated. If allowed to escape, methane is 23 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide. Therefore, air quality regulations require landfills to flare the methane if not put to use. Flaring options include burning methane to generate electricity or purifying it to add to natural gas pipelines. However, if landfills are in areas where electricity is inexpensive or far from electric transmission lines and gas pipelines, landfill gas can economically be converted to liquid transportation fuel.

Such is the case for Bowerman Landfill, which is located just five miles from the Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA). The two organizations formed a partnership--Bowerman will produce the fuel and OCTA, which is already running its buses on LNG, will use it.

All told, OCTA now uses about 13,000 gallons of LNG per day. It will soon use all the LNG produced at the Bowerman plant. The rest of OCTA's LNG will continue to be supplied by other manufacturers.

Although Bowerman currently produces only 1,000 gallons of LNG per day, it generates enough LFG to make about 50,000 gallons of LNG per day. Prometheus is actively seeking grants to eventually increase production to 40,000 gallons per day in subsequent phases (it is already permitted to do so). The company hopes to take on other fuel customers as the project continues.

Prometheus is approved to proceed with another LFG-to-LNG project in Sacramento. In this case, the fuel produced will be used in garbage trucks hauling waste to the landfill and by other municipal and private fleets. The project is being made possible by a $549,000 Clean Cities grant. Prometheus is an active member of the Puget Sound coalition and a member of its steering committee.

For more information, contact Prometheus Energy at 206-267-0800.

Greater Long Island Coalition Celebrates a Decade of Making a Difference

Last Updated: December 19, 2006
Ten years ago a small group of committed stakeholders formed the Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition (GLICCC) to address the ozone non-attainment status of New York's Nassau and Suffolk counties. Back then, there were 265,000 alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) on the road nationwide, the United States imported 3.5 billion barrels of oil per year, and the average gasoline price was $1.25 per gallon.

Today, GLICCC is celebrating a decade of making a difference and looking forward to the challenges ahead. The coalition has secured almost $10 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grants to support AFV and alternative fuel infrastructure projects. It has directly funded the deployment of more than 250 AFVs, and the total number of AFVs in the coalition service area has increased 700%.

Another achievement has been public outreach. GLICCC hosts an Advancing the Choice event each fall, drawing fleet operators from across the region to learn about the latest advances in vehicle technologies. Two years ago it initiated a seminar series, with each seminar focusing on a single topic such as biodiesel, alternative fuel school buses, and the municipal AFV market. The coalition participates in other outreach events, such as Earth Day, as well.

"Clean Cities is proud of the Greater Long Island Coalition's 10 years of accomplishments," says Marcy Rood, Deputy Director, Clean Cities. "When I attended its designation in 1996 there was so much enthusiasm among stakeholders. I had a strong feeling it would succeed--and Greater Long Island has proven me right."

One key to GLICCC's success has been its collaborative structure. "We have an active board of directors and executive committee along with committees for specific projects," says GLICCC coordinator Andria Adler. "Because many people are involved, things get done more effectively than if one person was doing everything."

Choosing the right host organization is also important. "A good host can support the organization in between funding cycles," says Adler. In 2000, GLICCC became a clean air program at the Long Island Forum for Technology (LIFT), a state-funded economic development organization.

GLICCC is not resting on its laurels. It is creating a new five-year plan that includes a focus on penetrating specific vehicle markets such as refuse trucks. It is also funding and promoting Long Island's first publicly accessible E85 station and supporting the continuation of single-passenger AFV use of the Long Island Expressway's high-occupancy vehicle lane.

Today, there are more than 550,000 AFVs on the road, and hybrid vehicles are selling in large numbers. The United States imports 5 billion barrels of oil per year. The average gasoline price is $2.30 per gallon, with recent New York prices topping $3.25 per gallon. "In the past, it was a challenge to get people to listen and think about vehicle options, but the situation today has made AFVs much more visible," says Adler. "It was important for us to stick with our message during the harder times. Now we're looking forward to even bigger successes."

Smithtown Chooses CNG to Cut Refuse Collection Costs

Last Updated: September 21, 2006
Faced with rising refuse collection costs, the Town of Smithtown, New York, is requiring its refuse collection contractors to use compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks. It's the first New York municipality to institute such a requirement. On January 1, 2007, the 30 contractor-owned diesel refuse trucks collecting solid waste and recyclables from the town's 115,000 residents will be replaced by CNG models.

This August, Smithtown finalized a list of four refuse collection companies as the low-bidders that will enter into seven-year contracts: Brothers Carting, Dejana Industries, Jody Industries, and V. Garafalo Carting. The companies will be responsible for buying new CNG trucks. To offset the higher cost of CNG trucks versus diesel trucks, the companies can claim the Federal Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit for up to 80% of the incremental cost. An alliance of local organizations is helping the contractors find financing options.

To further ease the transition, Smithtown entered into an agreement with natural gas supplier Clean Energy, which operates a nearby fueling station, to set fuel prices through 2013. CNG costs for the refuse trucks will start at $2.33 per diesel gallon equivalent (DGE) through 2008 and increase each year to conclude at $2.94 per DGE in 2013. The contracted CNG price could decrease if the price differential between diesel and CNG goes above a set threshold. Clean Energy will work with natural gas utility KeySpan to expand pipelines and accommodate the new natural gas demand.

"Controlling refuse collection costs for town residents was the primary reason Smithtown chose CNG," explained the coordinator of the Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition. "The commitment from Clean Energy to set a stable fuel price was very important."

Switching to CNG provides environmental and energy security benefits as well. The CNG refuse trucks are projected to reduce annual emissions of nitrogen oxides by 177 tons and particulate matter by 173 tons. Over the life of the contracts, Smithtown expects to displace more than 2.5 million DGE of petroleum-based fuel.

The benefits could be amplified if other towns adopt a similar strategy. Clean Cities inspired Smithtown's move to CNG. In May 2006, Russell Barnett, Smithtown's Environmental Protection Director, saw a Clean Cities alternative fuel presentation at the Federation of New York Solid Waste Associations Solid Waste/Recycling Conference & Trade Show in Bolton Landing, New York. The presentation persuaded him that CNG was the best choice for Smithtown's refuse fleet.

For more information, contact Rita Ebert, coordinator, Greater Long Island Clean Cities.

Portland, Maine, Transit District Adds CNG Buses, Infrastructure

Last Updated: July 13, 2006
Nearly one-half of Portland, Maine's fleet of transit buses now runs on compressed natural gas (CNG). These buses fuel at Maine's first CNG fueling station.

On May 1, 2006, the Greater Portland Transit District (METRO) and Maine Clean Communities formally unveiled 13 new Orion buses with John Deere CNG engines and their new fueling station. METRO estimates that the buses could displace nearly 120,000 gallons of diesel a year. The fueling station is also being used by Portland School District buses and will be available to other fleets and individuals.

Maine Clean Communities, its coordinator Steve Linnell, and Clean Cities were pivotal in procuring the buses and developing the station. In fact, the first seeds for the project were planted in the 1997 Maine Clean Communities Coalition Work Plan. At that time, however, there was not a CNG champion at METRO. A new general manager and Linnell's perseverance reinvigorated the project in 2001.

"The new general manager had previous experience with natural gas and was comfortable with the project," explains Linnell. "Individual METRO board members may have supported the project because they were influenced by emissions, energy independence, and the promise of cheaper fuel and lower operating expenses."

Linnell submitted a proposal and received a Clean Cities State Energy Program (SEP) grant for $150,000 in infrastructure funding in 2001. The Maine Department of Transportation matched the funding with $150,000 in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) funds. Northern Utilities contributed $25,000 and free hookup to the gas main. Additionally, Linnell received commitments from several fleets to use CNG once the station was built.

Since the project's inception, Maine Clean Communities received additional SEP funds for the incremental costs of five CNG transit buses, and Linnell assisted the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in applying for and securing Clean Cities SEP funds for incremental costs of three CNG school buses.

From the initial concept in 1997 to the unveiling of the buses in 2006, Linnell acknowledges that bringing CNG to Portland and METRO was a long, sometimes arduous, process, but the several committed partners made it work.

"The METRO general manager was key to keeping things on track," says Linnell. "Putting together the funding was the biggest challenge. Keeping it, due to how long it took to spend, was the second."

Next, METRO will be working with the Maine Department of Transportation and the Maine congressional delegation to secure funding to replace eight more diesel buses with CNG buses. Meanwhile, Maine Clean Communities is working with fleets in proximity of the new CNG station to encourage them to add CNG vehicles.

Education Center Features Prototype CNG/LNG Fueling Station

Last Updated: September 13, 2005
Since 2005, about one-third of Fresno's school buses have been filling up at a new state-of-the art natural gas fueling station at the Southwest Education Support Center in Caruthers, California. Not only is the station helping to decrease the use of imported petroleum, it a test facility for new compressed and liquified natural gas (CNG/LNG) fueling technology.

The 16,000-square-foot education support center was built in November 2004. Half the space is used for school administration, the other half for bus maintenance. The administration portion includes the offices of the Southwest Transportation Agency, which operates the buses and is a member of the San Joaquin Valley Coalition.

Fourteen years ago the fleet included only 10 CNG buses, says Kirk Hunter, agency director. The agency worked through an experimental phase with those buses and realized that CNG was a viable alternative to diesel. To date, Hunter says, CNG is cost-effective, costing the same as or less than diesel. Now, 29 of the agency's 90 school buses are fueled with CNG. The agency serves 15 school districts, transports 7,000 children each school day, and the buses travel 1 million miles a year.

When it was decided to build the new center, Hunter says he wanted it to have a CNG/LNG fueling station to support expansion of alternative fuel buses in the fleet. With the blessings of "a very forward thinking agency board," he sought funding. The agency obtained $1 million in funding from two programs run by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District: the Heavy-Duty Engine program and the Reduce Motor Vehicle Emissions program.

The Idaho National Laboratory and Pacific Gas and Electric helped develop the prototype CNG/LNG station and will be using the site to test fueling technology yet to be developed.

The public and other private fleets can also use the station. So far, Hunter says some Fresno Area Express buses are using the station and that he hopes use by public and private fleets will increase.

In the meantime, the Southwest Education Support Center's CNG/LNG fueling station will continue powering buses to get children to school so they can learn and, at the same time, educate area adults about the benefits of natural gas vehicles.

For more information contact Kirk Hunter at 559-644-1020.

CNG School Bus Fleet Logs 6 Million Miles

Last Updated: March 22, 2005
In the case of the Lower Merion School District in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, a journey of 6 million miles began with a single bus. In 1995, the district's first compressed natural gas (CNG) bus began serving the community. Since then, the CNG fleet has expanded to 72 buses. Over the years, the district's CNG buses have traveled more than 6.2 million miles, displacing approximately 1.3 million gallons of diesel fuel. In the 2003-2004 school year alone, the fleet logged more than 900,000 miles and used more than 180,000 gasoline gallon equivalents of CNG.

The CNG fleet is composed of"

• 72 CNG school buses, including 60 72-passenger, 8.1-L John Deer rear engine dedicated CNG BlueBird school buses
• One 72-passenger 5.9-L Cummins rear engine dedicated CNG Thomas school bus
• Seven 24-passenger 5.7-L Chevrolet converted dedicated CNG BlueBird mini school buses
• Four 30-passenger 5.4-L Ford dedicated CNG BlueBird mini school buses
• Five dedicated CNG Ford Econoline work vans
• One Chevrolet CNG Bi-Fuel Express passenger van.

Mike Andre, Lower Merion School District's Transportation Supervisor, says the switch to CNG vehicles was prompted by community members' complaints about noise and pollution generated by diesel buses. He says using CNG has addressed those concerns and offers many other benefits. "It's an inherently cleaner fuel, domestically produced, in plentiful supply, and competitively priced. The engines are also noticeably quieter than diesels."

The U.S. Department of Energy, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Philadelphia Electric Company have all contributed funding and technical support to this effort. In September of 2004, Andre received a National NGV Achievement Award from the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation and the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition for his contributions to the advancement of natural gas. The Lower Merion School District is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program Board of Directors and plans to eventually convert the majority of its 110 buses and 40 operations vehicles to CNG.

Currently, the district has two CNG refueling stations, one each in Ardmore and Rosemont. However, there are a limited number of refueling stations outside the district's normal operating area, so the fleet must include some diesel buses for lengthy trips. But Andre says the CNG fleet will keep growing, starting with the addition of six CNG buses next school year.

For more information contact Philadelphia Clean Cities Coordinator, Nathalie Shapiro, 215-413-3122.