NGVAmerica News Week in Review: May 16, 2016

 

• NGVAmerica Call to Action: Support the NCWM DGE Proposal This July
• UPS Expands CNG-Powered Fleet at San Antonio Facility
• Waste Industries Unveils CNG Fleet in North Carolina
• National Waste and Recycling Association Awards CNG Truck to “Driver of the Year”
• J-W Power Company Debuts New CNG Refueling Technology
• Luxfer Launches Second Generation Type 4 Natural Gas Cylinders
• Republic Services Named Winner of Louisiana Clean Fuel Leader Award
• Shell Deploys Third LNG-Powered Supply Vessel in Gulf of Mexico
• Wärtsilä to Participate in LNG Powered Dry Bulk Carrier Project

 

NGVAmerica Call to Action: Support the NCWM DGE Proposal This July

May 16, 2016

This July, the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) will vote on the diesel gallon equivalent (DGE) standard.  The vote will take place at the NCWM Annual Meeting being held July 24 – 28 in Denver, Colorado.  It is critical that natural gas advocates reach out to their state regulators in time between now and the summer meeting in order to encourage them to support this important vote.

For regulators located in regions that are holding spring meetings, it would be helpful to reach out to them in advance of those meetings. The Central Weights and Measures Association meets May 23 – 26 in Rapid City, South Dakota and the Northern Weights and Measures Association meets May 16 – 19 in Portland, Maine.  Details on these meetings are available here.

NGVAmerica will attend the July meeting to speak in support of the DGE proposal.  However, state regulators need to hear from businesses in their affected states.  NGVAmerica members, trade allies, and other affected businesses are urged to:

1. Attend the NCWM Meeting and testify during the open session; this involves speaking from the floor during the open session; remarks are often given informally and do not have to be technical or detailed;
2. Contact state NCWM officials and urge them to vote for the DGE proposal;
3. Write a letter to your state representative urging them to support the DGE proposal and copy the NCWM Executive and others (we have prepared a sample draft letter – see attached);
4. Contact officials in states where you operate and urge them to contact the states voting representative;
5. Let NGVAmerica know if your state regulators have indicated how they plan to vote; and
6. Let NGVAmerica know if you will be attending the meeting in Denver.

The DGE standard compliments the gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) standard that has been in place for more than 20 years.  Under the proposal that will be voted on, LNG retailers will now be able to offer LNG in diesel gallon equivalent units since virtually all LNG is sold for trucks.  CNG retailers would continue to be able to sell CNG using the GGE unit, but also would have the option of using the DGE unit for certain sales. Some regulators may propose that the NCWM consider an alternative approach that includes mandated that natural gas sales only be in mass units (pounds or kilograms).  It is important that we support the GGE and DGE standards and be prepared to push back against other alternatives.

Below are links to more information on state representatives and details on the upcoming Annual Meeting.  If your state is represented on the L&R or S&T Committees, it would be helpful to also write those officials.

• State Directors
• NCWM L&R Committee Members
• NCWM S&T Committee Members
• NCWM Annual Meeting Details

To download a draft letter, click here.

 

UPS Expands CNG-Powered Fleet at San Antonio Facility

May 10, 2016

UPS announced it will add 40 Class 8 CNG-powered tractors as part of the expansion of its sorting facility in San Antonio, Texas. The natural gas tractors will be fueled at a new on-site fueling station. Each tractor will displace approximately 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year with clean burning natural gas.

The building sits on more than 40 acres of land and serves UPS customers in Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Wilson, Medina and Kendall counties.  The project is expected to be complete mid-2017.

 

Waste Industries Unveils CNG Fleet in North Carolina

May 12, 2016

Waste Industries held a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil its new CNG station and 21 collection-vehicle fleet at their Wilmington facility in Wilmington, North Carolina. Ven Poole, Chairman and CEO of Waste Industries, was among the speakers at ribbon cutting.

The project, which cost $7 Million, includes a private time-fill station with dual compressors and 40 hoses, shop upgrades, and new vehicles.  The whole environmental campus was completed in 2013 and with this recent addition represents a total investment of over $15 million in the County. This green project is an expansion of Waste Industries’ existing campus and another example of the company’s commitment to environmental friendly innovations.

 

National Waste and Recycling Association Awards CNG Truck to “Driver of the Year”

May 13, 2016

The National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA) recognized David Bedford as NWRA’s National Driver of the Year (Industrial LOB). Bedford is a 35-year veteran with Republic Services, who has spent his entire career servicing customers in Boise, Idaho. Next month, David will be recognized by NWRA at Waste Expo in Las Vegas, as a Driver of the Year. His prize is a new CNG roll-off truck with “David Bedford, Driver of the Year” stamped on each door.

Republic Services operates a fleet of CNG waste collection vehicles supported by a $6.5M grant awarded by the Department of Energy to the Treasure Valley Clean Cities Coalition and Republic Services. The grant expedited the CNG fleet conversion by covering much of the investment in CNG shop upgrades, technician training, onsite fleet fueling infrastructure and the construction of two public CNG stations.

 

J-W Power Company Debuts New CNG Refueling Technology

May 9, 2016

J-W Power Company announced that it has developed a new patent-pending CNG technology that improves fill time at the dispenser.

The technology allows the compressor to change the number of stages dynamically to use high pressure from storage to yield a higher flow rate. It is currently available in two models, J-W PowerFill and J-W PowerFill Lite. Both options are designed in a 4-stage/2-stage configuration. When in direct-fill mode or when filling storage, both package designs function in 4-stage mode. While a vehicle is fueling, the package automatically switches to 2-stages, dramatically increasing the flow rate.

J-W Power has built over 4,000 natural gas compressor packages. The company’s CNG packages are provided with start-up, commissioning, station equipment installation assistance and contract maintenance services.

 

Luxfer Launches Second Generation Type 4 Natural Gas Cylinders

May 12, 2016

Luxfer Gas Cylinders recently launched its second generation of G-Stor Go Type 4 carbon composite cylinders at the ACT Expo in Long Beach, California. Luxfer’s new GEN2 G-Stor Go cylinders provide a 9 percent CNG volume increase and a 15 percent weight savings compared to the company’s first-generation Type 4 AF cylinders.

Cylinder diameters from 22 in. to 27 in. are available, and cylinder lengths range from 40 in. to 140 in., what Luxfer calls the longest Type 4 fuel cylinder in the industry. GEN2 cylinders feature a new polymer liner and patented boss design that provide the highest level of liner performance and gas retention. The GEN2 cylinders are also equipped with Luxfer’s proprietary G-Flo valves that enable faster filling and provide more usable gas.

Luxfer recently began shipping new GEN2 cylinders to its customers that serve the trash truck, Class 8 heavy duty truck and medium duty truck sectors. GEN2 G-Stor Go cylinders are manufactured at the Luxfer plant in Riverside, California.

 

Republic Services Named Winner of Louisiana Clean Fuel Leader Award

May 9, 2016

Louisiana Clean Fuels (LCF) recently announced the winners of the Louisiana Clean Fuel Leader Awards during the organization’s annual conference and expo in Lafayett, Louisiana. LCF, a designated U.S. DOE Clean Cities Coalition, awards the top alternative fuel users in the organization’s territory each year. This year’s event hosted over 100 attendees.

Republic Services received the Outstanding Private Fleet award for reducing 672.40 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The refuse fleet operates 62 natural gas vehicles in LCF’s territory, and is the top fleet in the refuse company category.

“Republic is honored to receive recognition for being a Clean Fuel Leader,” said Calvin Ray, General Manager at Republic Services and LCF Board of Directors member. “We are committed to our environmental initiatives to reduce emissions and lower operating costs.”

 

Shell Deploys Third LNG-Powered Supply Vessel in Gulf of Mexico

May 10, 2016

Shell Offshore announced the delivery of the third LNG-powered offshore supply vessel (OSV) in Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The Harvey Liberty, chartered from specialist company Harvey Gulf International Marine, will join her sister ships, the Harvey Energy and Harvey Power, and support Shell’s deep-water operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

“This is an important milestone for Shell and Harvey Gulf,” said Tahir Faruqui, Shell’s General Manager LNG North America. “The ‘Harvey Liberty’ highlights our efforts to grow LNG as a fuel in the transport sector, and is a welcome addition to our portfolio.”

The Harvey Liberty runs on 99 percent LNG fuel and can operate for up to 15 days before refueling. The LNG powered vessels provide vessel owners an alternative fuel to meet sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions regulations in the North American Emission Control Area (ECA).

The Harvey Liberty is 302 feet long and operates on three dual-fuel Wärtsilä engines. It will load from Harvey Gulf’s new LNG bunkering facility in Port Fourchon, Louisiana where it will support Shell’s platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, transporting supplies, equipment, and drilling fluids.

 

Wärtsilä to Participate in LNG Powered Dry Bulk Carrier Project

May 10, 2016

Wärtsilä is to team up with an international group of shipping industry companies and organizations in a project to develop a concept for equipping future dry bulk carrier vessels with LNG propulsion.

Project Forward is led by Athens-based Arista Shipping. It began officially in May 2015 with the aim of developing a commercially feasible LNG powered dry bulk carrier design capable of complying with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Energy Efficiency Design Index 2025 standards, as well as with all relevant emission reduction regulations. In addition to Arista Shipping, the other parties involved in the project are Finnish ship designer Deltamarin, the Houston based classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and GTT, the French LNG membrane containment system designer.

The Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel engine is likely to form the basis of the concept’s propulsion system. Introduced in June 2015, the Wärtsilä 31 has been recognized by Guinness World Records as being the world’s most efficient 4-stroke diesel engine. The DF version allows the use of either LNG or conventional marine fuel oils. While 2-stroke engines are the conventional choice for vessels of this type, the efficiency of the Wärtsilä 31 engine makes it a viable alternative option.