RAILROAD COMMISSION OF TEXAS |
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| MICHAEL L. WILLIAMS Commissioner |
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| Contact: Jessica Markl | 512-463-7147 |
Seguin ISD Rolls Out 21 Propane Buses for 2009 School Year
New Fuel Lowers Costs and Emissions
Seguin, Texas – A year ago, Seguin ISD’s Transportation Director, James Pizana, attended a Breathe Easy Propane School Bus workshop hosted by Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams in San Antonio. He and his colleagues liked what they heard. After careful consideration, the leadership of Seguin ISD concluded that propane buses were a common-sense choice for their students and taxpayers.
“I’m delighted that Seguin ISD has chosen to include propane as a fuel for its fleet of buses,” said Commissioner Williams. “These twenty-one buses reduce the emissions that Seguin’s school children are exposed to, and they are a great value for the taxpayers through lower fuel and operating costs.”
Seguin ISD has reduced harmful NOx emissions by 15.8 tons by replacing older diesel buses, as well as reducing particulate matter from the exhaust by 99 percent.
Williams noted, “That sooty black exhaust is gone when you use propane – if you look at the tailpipes of these new buses, you’ll see just how clean propane is.”
Propane buses qualify for federal alternative motor vehicle and alternative fuel tax credits. Additionally, because the district is located in Guadalupe County, the buses are eligible for state grants from the Railroad Commission’s Propane Equipment Initiative. The Initiative is funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Texas Emission Reduction Plan fund that aims to reduce emissions in air quality non-attainment and near non-attainment counties, which includes Guadalupe County.
“Taxpayers should be impressed with this transportation decision, too,” said Williams. “The district will receive a 50 cents per gallon federal tax credit for every gallon of propane used in its buses. In the end, Seguin ISD will have cut its per gallon fuel costs by 75 percent.”
Propane Cost per Gallon |
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Propane cost, per gallon |
$0.96 |
Federal alternative fuel tax credit, per gallon |
-$0.50 |
FINAL PROPANE COST, per gallon |
$0.46 |
Propane vs. Diesel Cost Savings |
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Diesel cost, per gallon |
$1.83 |
Final Propane Costs, per gallon |
-$0.46 |
SAVINGS, per gallon |
$1.37 |
“On top of that, Seguin ISD is receiving $158,150 from the Railroad Commission’s Propane Equipment Initiative,” said Williams. “And the Blue Bird distributor for this area, Rush Enterprises, is issuing Seguin a cash reimbursement of $7,000 per bus through the federal Alternative Motor Vehicle Tax Credit, which adds up to $147,000 for the 21 buses.”
Seguin ISD’s new propane school buses join more than 1700 other propane school buses on the road in Texas today.
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www.rrc.state.tx.us/commissioners/williams/index.php
Governor George W. Bush appointed Michael Williams to the Railroad Commission in December 1998. Williams chaired the Commission from July 2007 to February 2009 and previously served as chair from September 1999 to September 2003. Williams was elected statewide most recently in November 2008 to a six-year term expiring in 2014. He is the first African-American in Texas history to hold an elected position in the executive branch of Texas state government. In December 2002, Governor Rick Perry appointed Williams to chair the Governor’s Clean Coal Technology Council. In March 2006, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Bodman appointed Williams to the National Coal Council.