NGVAmerica News Week in Review: June 19, 2017
- Trillium CNG Opens New Location in York, Pennsylvania
- NGVAmerica Hosts Final Stop of NGV Road Rally Across America
- Upcoming Webinar for Funding Natural Gas Goods Movement Trucks in California
- Piedmont Natural Gas Hosts South Carolina Stop on NGV Road Rally
- Mayors Commit Southern California Ports to Completing Clean Air Action Plan
- Shell and Qatar Petroleum Form LNG Marine Fueling Venture
Trillium CNG Opens New Location in York, Pennsylvania
June 15, 2017
Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and rabbittransit in York, Pennsylvania, celebrated the opening of a new CNG station at a recent ribbon cutting. The new facility is the second public CNG station Love’s Trillium CNG designed, built and maintains for transit authorities in Pennsylvania as part of a public-private partnership (P-3) PennDOT awarded to the company last year.
“CNG is clean transportation fuel,” said Richard Farr, rabbittransit executive director. “Not only will it help reduce our carbon footprint, but it will help reduce our maintenance costs as well as create jobs in Pennsylvania.”
The P-3 project will provide CNG to more than 1,600 buses at transit agencies across Pennsylvania. rabbittransit has one CNG bus, and eight additional CNG buses will be delivered next month. The P-3 project benefits the public by providing cleaner air to the community and consumers with more public CNG facilities.
“This P3 CNG program will make our transit agencies more efficient, saving resources and heling our environment,” Governor Wolf said of the opening. “I’m pleased that with this station, we now have two CNG facilities in York the public can access.”
The new station in York was primarily built to meet the needs of rabbittransit’s growing fleet of CNG buses, but is also open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Six of the 29 facilities in the P-3 project will be open to the public. The first public facility opened in April in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, at the Cambria County Transit Authority. Another private facility for Mid Mon Valley Transit in Donora, Pennsylvania, opened this month.
Trillium used the new fueling station as a stop on the second annual From Sea-to-Shining-Sea NGV Road Rally Across America, presented by NGVAmerica, the American Public Gas Association and the American Gas Association. This year’s 18-stop, 4,825-mile journey began outside of Long Beach, California, Monday, June 5 and concluded in Washington, D.C. Friday, June 16.
NGVAmerica Hosts Final Stop of NGV Road Rally Across America
June 16, 2017
NGVAmerica hosted the final stop on the 2nd annual ‘From Sea-to-Shining-Sea’ NGV Road Rally Across America on Friday, June 16, at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. At the final stop, event sponsors—the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition, the D.C. Department of Public Works, NGVAmerica, Washington Gas, Trillium CNG, and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments—welcomed guests to Freedom Plaza, where many natural gas-powered vehicles were on display, including street sweeping trucks, refuse trucks, dump trucks and light-duty vehicles.
“NGVAmerica organized the 2nd Annual ‘From Sea-to-Shining Sea’ NGV Road Rally to draw greater attention to the large and growing network of natural gas fueling stations across America,” said Mitchell Pratt, Chair of NGVAmerica’s Board of Directors and Chief Operating Officer of Clean Energy Fuels Corp. “This event demonstrates that, today, natural gas vehicle fleets can travel coast to coast and border to border. Natural gas is a clean, cost-effective, abundant, and domestic fuel solution for transit, refuse, airport, and commercial fleets. The communities that took part in the road rally benefit by having natural gas refueling infrastructure, and many more communities are learning about the advantages it brings.”
This year’s NGV Road Rally highlights the many benefits of using clean-burning, domestic natural gas in transportation and the variety of vehicles available today that operate on natural gas.
“CNG vehicles are a cost-effective, reliable and cleaner alternative to conventional fuel,” said Melissa E. Adams, Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, WGL, the parent company of Washington Gas. “The 200 CNG cars and trucks WGL has in our fleet helped us achieve a 74 percent reduction in carbon emissions from our fleet and facilities from 2008 to 2015. They also emit little to no particulates—air pollution that has been linked to asthma, lung cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other diseases.”
The West coast-to-East coast road rally not only dispels the myth of NGV ‘range anxiety’ but also raises awareness about the historic Volkswagen Clean Air Act Civil Settlement, and serves to educate state and federal officials about how NGVs are the most cost-effective use of funds for clean transportation projects outlined in the $2.9 billion Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund.
“We’re proud to be here as sponsors and partners in showcasing NGVs today,” said Bill Cashmareck, Managing Director of Trillium CNG. “Our industry is only going to grow in the years to come, and this is just one step on that journey. We’re bringing our message to the masses and Washington to let them know that CNG is here to stay.”
This year’s 18-stop, 4,825-mile journey began outside of Long Beach, CA, on Monday, June 5, and included 16 stops and rally events before concluding in the District of Columbia on Friday, June 16.
The following organizations are additional sponsors of this year’s Road Rally:
Agility Fuel Solutions, ampCNG, ANGI Energy Systems, Arkansas Clean Cities Coalition, Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corp, Atlanta Gas Light, Blue Bird Corporation, Blue Energy Fuels, Carolinas Public Gas Association, CenterPoint Energy, City of Richmond – Dept of Public Utilities, City of Tulsa CNG, Clean Energy Fuels Corp, Clean Fuels Michigan, Clean N’ Green Fuel, CNG Cylinders International, Cummins Westport Inc, DeKalb County, Georgia (Metro Atlanta area), DTE Energy, East Tennessee Clean Fuels, EVO CNG, Gibson County Utility District, Greater Dickson Gas Authority, Greater Houston Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance, Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition, Houston Distributing Company, Knoxville Utilities Board, Middle-West TN Clean Fuels, Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia, National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA), Norwich Clean Cities, Okaloosa Gas District, Oklahoma One-Call, One Gas, Ozinga Energy, Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition, Piedmont Natural Gas, Precision Fitting and Gauge/Precision CNG, Sevier County Utility District, Sheehy Mail Contractors, Inc, South Jersey Gas Company, Southern California Gas Company – a Sempra Company, Southwest Gas Corporation, Staubli Corp, TECO Energy, Tennessee Gas Association, Trillium CNG, TruStar Energy, Tulsa Area Clean Cities, Tulsa Gas Technologies, Inc, UGI Utilities, Inc, U.S. Venture/GAIN Clean Fuel, Virginia Clean Cities, Virginia Natural Gas – a Southern Company, WEH Technologies Inc, and Worthington Cylinders.
Upcoming Webinar for Funding Natural Gas Goods Movement Trucks in California
June 19, 2017
The Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) is hosting a complimentary webinar to learn about funding available for natural gas vehicles through the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s “Proposition 1B: Goods Movement Emission Reduction Program.” The webinar will be held Thursday, June 29 at 11:00 a.m. PT.
Medium and heavy duty natural gas trucks offer the most cost-effective NOx emission reduction benefits and can provide the power, performance, and range needed to move freight throughout California and the nation. The webinar will cover the financial incentives available to upgrade equipment used in freight movement, including key eligibility criteria, technology options and funding amounts, an overview of the application process, and the application deadline.
The Bay Area, Sacramento and San Diego Prop 1B funding programs have an earlier close date, while the San Joaquin Valley APCD has the latest application date. Fleets throughout California can apply for funding through their district as long as they are engaged in the movement of goods within designated California Trade Corridors, have operated at least 75 percent in California for the past two years, including 10 percent within in the SJVAPCD boundaries.
For more information and to register, visit the registration website.
Piedmont Natural Gas Hosts South Carolina Stop on NGV Road Rally
June 13, 2017
Piedmont Natural Gas hosted the only South Carolina stop on a coast-to-coast tour of natural gas vehicles when the 2017 “From Sea to Shining Sea” NGV Road Rally passed through Spartanburg.
Vehicles participating in the relay-style tour filled up at Piedmont’s public CNG refueling station in Spartanburg.
A press conference will feature remarks from Piedmont Natural Gas and Palmetto Clean Fuels Coalition officials, a display of NGVs and an awards ceremony to recognize notable CNG users from the region, including AT&T, UPS, Waste Management and Gaffney-based Randolph Trucking.
“As part of our commitment to sustainable business practices, Piedmont Natural Gas has been a longtime proponent of using cleaner, low-cost CNG as a transportation fuel, and we are proud to host today’s NGV Road Rally,” said Karl Newlin, senior vice president and chief commercial officer for natural gas operations for Piedmont’s parent company, Duke Energy. “Demand for CNG has increased significantly in recent years, and we believe it will continue to grow as we help build out the nation’s network of refueling stations.”
Piedmont’s partners for the event included the Palmetto Clean Fuels Coalition, an initiative of South Carolina Energy Office that is focused on building an alternative fuels market in South Carolina. In addition to hosting the event, one of Piedmont’s own fleet vehicles fueled by CNG will drive a leg of the tour from Spartanburg to Salisbury, North Carolina.
The Spartanburg refueling station is one of 10 public CNG stations Piedmont operates throughout its service territory of North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Piedmont will open its 11th station this summer in Hickory, North Carolina, near the junction of Interstate 40 and U.S. 321.
In addition to promoting the use of CNG, Piedmont also has converted more than 38 percent of its own corporate fleet vehicles to run on CNG and expects that percentage to grow to nearly 42 percent by the end of 2017.
Mayors Commit Southern California Ports to Completing Clean Air Action Plan
June 13, 2017
Mayor Eric Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia are strengthening their pledge to make the twin ports of the San Pedro Bay global models for cleaner air, sustainability and innovation. They also reaffirmed their commitment to adopting the Paris Climate Agreement goals in their cities, and highlighted the two ports’ critical role in achieving them.
The two mayors signed a joint declaration that sets ambitious goals for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to make the transition to zero emissions in their Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP). The mayors also affirmed that the CAAP will include new investments in clean technology, expanding at-berth emission reductions, and launching a zero emissions drayage truck pilot program in the next few years.
“Our ports are the engines that power our economy — they must also be the forces that drive our region toward a greener, more sustainable future,” said Mayor Garcetti. “I am proud to stand with my fellow Climate Mayor Robert Garcia today, as we renew our commitment to cleaning our air, and moving boldly toward our goal of zero emissions goods movement at the ports.”
Mayors Garcetti and Garcia also launched the Green Ports Collaborative, a new initiative led by the Climate Mayors. The program will bring cities and ports together — first along the West Coast, and then across America — to create shared environmental standards, demonstrate future demand for zero emissions equipment and trucks, work with manufacturers to produce the vehicles and technologies needed, and take other collaborative action to green ports across the country.
Nearly 40 percent of the container cargo that comes to the U.S. moves through the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The ports generate $398 billion of economic activity every year, and they support one out of every nine jobs in the region. Both cities have demonstrated a firm commitment to making their ports more sustainable, and since 2006, the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) has led to dramatic emissions reductions — even as trade volume has increased 7 percent.
Shell and Qatar Petroleum Form LNG Marine Fueling Venture
Jun 13, 2017
Shell Gas & Power Developments B.V. (Shell) and Qatar Petroleum’s Wave LNG Solutions signed a framework agreement to develop LNG marine fueling—bunkering—infrastructure at strategic shipping locations across the globe.
LNG bunkering provides the shipping industry with a new fuel that helps meet the industry’s environmental and economic objectives. Increasing numbers of ship owners and operators are turning to LNG over traditional marine fuels in response to tighter sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions regulations.
Tuesday’s agreement follows two Memoranda of Understandings (MOUs) Shell and Qatargas signed with industry partners in 2016 to explore LNG bunkering opportunities in the Middle East. The companies will evaluate and progress the development of LNG bunkering facilities at various locations across Europe, the Middle East and East Asia.
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