NGVAmerica News Week in Review: August 22, 2016

 

• EPA and NHTSA Adopt Phase 2 Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks
• New Flyer Introduces the Cummins Westport ISL G Near Zero Emissions Engine
• Kenworth Receives Grants for Low-Emission Projects in California
• New CNG Station Opening at Ford Truck Center in Kansas City
• Nopetro and St. Johns County Open CNG Fueling Facility in Florida
• Xpress Natural Gas Opens CNG Facility at the Satsop Business Park in Washington
• Phoenix Wastewater RNG Project Expected to Be Largest in US
• Landfill to Add CNG Trucks in Settlement with US EPA
• Crowley Christens Fourth LNG-Ready Tanker

 

EPA and NHTSA Adopt Phase 2 Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks

August 19, 2016

The White House released the Phase 2 Heavy- and Medium-Duty Vehicle Rulemaking that has been adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The program is aimed to promote the next generation of cleaner, more fuel-efficient trucks through the development and deployment of new and advanced technologies through model year 2027. The standards, which become effective for vehicles and engines in 2021 and for trailers in 2018, are expected to lower CO₂ emissions by approximately 1.1 billion metric tons and save about $170 billion in fuel cost savings.

“NGVAmerica worked closely with EPA and NHTSA over the past three years to ensure that the strong benefits of natural gas vehicles were reflected in developing a final rule,” said NGVAmerica President Matthew Godlewski. “Cleaner trucks are the goal, and I am confident that natural gas will continue to play a strong role in greening America’s heavy-duty fleet under this rulemaking.”

NGVAmerica has been following this issue closely and provided comments throughout the rulemaking process with the goal of ensuring fair treatment for NGVs and of promoting increased opportunities for NGVs. Although initial analysis shows meeting the Phase 2 Standards may present technological challenges for some vehicles, NGVAmerica is encouraged by the overall flexibility of the standards and the opportunities they create to improve the fuel efficiency and emissions of NGVs.

“EPA and NHTSA have worked hard to weigh a variety of important concerns with the final rulemaking,” said Dave McCurdy, President and CEO of the American Gas Association.  “It appears that they have found a balanced approach that supports continued opportunities to use more natural gas to meet our country’s transportation needs.”

For more information, contact NGVAmerica Director, Technology & Development Dan Bowerson at dbowerson@www.ngvamerica.org or NGVAmerica General Counsel & Director, Regulatory Affairs Jeff Clarke at jclarke@www.ngvamerica.org.

 

New Flyer Introduces the Cummins Westport ISL G Near Zero Emissions Engine

August 17, 2016

New Flyer of America announced it will begin installing the 2016 Cummins Westport ISL G Near Zero engine on its Xcelsior buses starting the third quarter of 2016. New Flyer is the first transit manufacturer to offer the industry’s cleanest engine and will also deliver the first OEM installation of the engine.

The ISL G NZ CNG engine will be used to power a New Flyer Xcelsior XN40 bus for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), which operates the largest natural gas engine transit vehicle fleet in North America.

“We are proud to be the first OEM to factory install and deliver this industry-leading clean engine to a transit customer,” said Wayne Joseph, New Flyer Executive Vice President, Bus. “The advancements of Cummins Westport in compressed natural gas internal combustion and after-treatment technology has helped our customers meet stringent clean air requirements, powered by low cost natural gas.”

The ISL G NZ NOx natural gas engine is the first mid-range engine in North America to receive certification to meet the 0.02 g/bhp-hr. Near Zero NOx Emissions standards from both U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). In addition to the dramatic reduction in NOx, the ISL G NZ features Closed Crankcase Ventilation to reduce engine related methane emissions by 70 percent.

 

Kenworth Receives Grants for Low-Emission Projects in California

August 19, 2016

Kenworth has been awarded government grants that will support low emissions projects involving Kenworth T680 Day Cabs targeted for use as drayage tractors in Southern California ports.

Two of the projects are funded at $1.9 million each by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), with Southern California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) as the prime applicant. Kenworth will build two proof-of-concept T680 Day Cab drayage tractors to transport freight from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to warehouses and railyards along the I-710 corridor in the Los Angeles basin.

The first T680 Day Cab will be a hybrid electric drayage truck producing near-zero- emissions by using a CNG engine to generate electrical power. The second T680 Day Cab will feature a hydrogen fuel cell. These trucks are expected to be identical, except for their power generation systems. Both trucks will have an all-electric range of 30 miles, as well as on-board CNG and hydrogen capacity of 100 DGEs.

“Already California is considering regulations requiring port drayage trucks to run at zero-emission levels when operating in economically disadvantaged communities,” said Mike Dozier, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president. “These T680 Day Cab projects are a great opportunity for Kenworth to advance the development of key technologies that may play a critical role in the trucks of the future.”

 

New CNG Station Opening at Ford Truck Center in Kansas City

August 15, 2016

A new CNG station has opened at the Midway Ford Truck Center in Kansas City, Missouri, within Hunt Midwest’s Automotive Alley. After selling or modifying hundreds of alternate fuel vehicles, Midway Ford Truck Center partnered with Clean Energy to open its first CNG fueling station built collaboratively with a Ford dealership. To further serve demand for CNG-fueled vehicles, Midway Ford has announced plans to build and staff a dedicated Alt-Fuel installation and repair facility located on its 26-acre campus.

“This new CNG facility helps fuel the rapid growth taking place in Automotive Alley and the Kansas City auto industry,” said Ora Reynolds, president and CEO of Hunt Midwest. “With the ongoing success of Ford’s F-150 truck and Transit commercial van, and continued demand for CNG fuel and vehicle modifications, Automotive Alley is gearing up to welcome new tenants.”

After Ford announced plans to pump more than $1 billion into its Kansas City Assembly Plant in 2011, the automaker chose Hunt Midwest Business Center for its North American Vehicle Logistics Facility (NAVLOS). Automotive Alley is now home to more than a dozen Ford suppliers and upfitters offering more than 7,000 staging spots for Ford vehicles made in Kansas City.

 

Nopetro and St. Johns County Open CNG Fueling Facility in Florida

August 18, 2016

Nopetro has announced the grand opening of its newest CNG fueling facility in St. Johns County, Florida, designed to serve both county-owned commercial vehicles and the public at-large. The new station is located at the two-acre St. Johns County Public Works facility site. The station is comprised of a four lane fueling station and is expandable to six lanes, and it features two dual hose dispensers with the capacity to distribute over 12 gallons per minute.

As part of the P3 agreement with the County, Nopetro absorbed all costs related to the construction, operation and maintenance of the fueling station.  The facility was completely designed and engineered by Nopetro.

Additionally, as part of its initiative to reduce the use of imported oil, develop regional economic opportunities and improve air quality, the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization provided St. Johns County with $732,000 towards the incremental cost of the retrofit of approximately 130 mid-duty CNG fleet vehicles.

Under the terms of the public-private partnership, switching from diesel to CNG is expected to provide the County more than $6 million in savings over the next 20 years.

 

Xpress Natural Gas Opens CNG Facility at the Satsop Business Park in Washington

August 22, 2016

Xpress Natural Gas’s (XNG) first Northwest CNG fueling facility is now open at the Satsop Business Park in Elma, Washington. Port Commissioners and staff, elected officials, and local business leaders recently joined XNG representatives to celebrate the grand opening of their newest CNG facility that will service regional industries, including anchor customer Port Townsend Paper.

XNG’s CNG distribution terminal in the West Park area draws on the Williams’ natural gas line to transport natural gas to Port Townsend Paper. XNG has invested more than $6 million in equipment and trucks and trailers to support the first phase of its project with Port Townsend Paper.

XNG, founded in 2011, provides trucked natural gas solutions to industrial and utility customers in locations where a pipeline does not provide gas service. XNG operates a large fleet of high-capacity, all-composite CNG trailers and uses all CNG-powered tractors.

Satsop Business Park, a facility of the Port of Grays Harbor, is less than two hours southwest of Seattle and two hours north of Portland. The 1,800-acre mixed-use business and industrial park is also approximately 30 minutes from Olympia and the I-5 Corridor.

 

Phoenix Wastewater RNG Project Expected to Be Largest in US

August 15, 2016

Ameresco and the City of Phoenix announced a multi-million dollar wastewater treatment biogas project. The 91^st Ave biogas project, which is expected to be operational in late 2017, will process the raw biogas generated in the anaerobic digesters into renewable natural gas (RNG) that will be sold to the vehicle market through the natural gas pipeline grid. Ameresco will design, build, own, operate and maintain the wastewater biogas-to-energy facility.

The biogas is a mixture of different gasses (mostly methane and carbon dioxide) produced through the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter that is delivered to the waste water treatment plant. With a project size of 3,250 standard cubic feet per minute (SCFM) capacity, the project is expected to be largest of its kind in the nation.

“This cutting-edge partnership will enable Phoenix to turn wasted biogas from the plant’s digesters into green gas that can be sold for profit,” said Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton. “This is a business opportunity that also improves air quality and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which moves Phoenix closer to our goal of 15 percent renewable energy citywide.”

The 91^st Ave plant serves the cities of Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa, Scottsdale, and Tempe that make up the Sub-Regional Operating Group (SROG). The project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by nearly 45,000 tons per year.

 

Landfill to Add CNG Trucks in Settlement with US EPA

August 18, 2016

As part of a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Champ Landfill has agreed to spend nearly $1.3 million to purchase four CNG trash collection trucks to replace existing diesel-fueled vehicles as a voluntary Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP).

An EPA inspection of Champ Landfill was part of an initiative by EPA to identify noncompliance and reduce air emissions from sources in the greater St. Louis area. Landfill standards impose controls on emissions of landfill gas, as well as monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements to ensure that landfill gas emissions are minimized.

The CNG trash collection vehicles are expected to result in a significant reduction of particulate matter emissions, compared to conventional diesel-fueled trucks currently being used.

 

Crowley Christens Fourth LNG-Ready Tanker

August 16, 2016

Crowley Maritime recently christened the innovative MT West Virginia, its fourth new, Jones Act product tanker in Philadelphia at Philly Shipyard. The West Virginia is LNG ready, meaning it can later be converted for propulsion by the cleaner-burning fuel.

West Virginia joins its sister ships, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas, which were received by Crowley in 2015 and 2016 as the first-ever tankers to receive the American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) LNG-Ready Level 1 approval. At 600 feet long, West Virginia is 50,000 dead-weight-tons (dwt) and capable of carrying 330,000 barrels of product.

Crowley’s marine solutions group  provided vessel construction management services for the product tankers. The company has an on-site office and personnel at the Philadelphia shipyard to ensure strong working relationships with shipyard staff and a seamless construction and delivery program.