NGVAmerica News Week in Review: August 14, 2017
- Waste Management Deploys 6,000th Natural Gas Refuse Truck, Opens 100th Natural Gas Fueling Station
- Trillium to Build CNG Station for California Transit District
- AMP Americas Receives $47 Million to Grow RNG and CNG Fueling Operations
- The Transit Authority for the City of Omaha Adds New CNG MOBY Buses
- LSG Sky Chefs Begins Fueling with Clean Energy at DFW International Airport
- EPA, DOT Open Comment Period on GHG Standards for Cars and Light Trucks
Waste Management Deploys 6,000th Natural Gas Refuse Truck, Opens 100th Natural Gas Fueling Station
August 8, 2017
Waste Management announced today a significant milestone in its natural gas fleet journey, opening its 100th natural gas fueling station. At a ceremony in Oklahoma City, industry representatives, local and state officials joined the company to dedicate the fueling station. The company also celebrated a significant milestone of operating 6,000 natural gas trucks, which is the largest heavy duty fleet of its kind in North America.
“This milestone is a testament to Waste Management’s commitment to natural gas vehicles and to the environmental, economic, and energy security benefits they provide,” said Kathryn Clay, Interim Executive Director for NGVAmerica. “Waste Management’s leadership shows the way toward a cleaner transportation system based on natural gas fuels.”
In just five years, the company’s transformation has seen a five-fold increase in the number of natural gas trucks deployed and the number of fueling stations in place. Their signature green and yellow refuse trucks operate in cities throughout the country, providing refuse and recycling collection for communities. An industry leader, Waste Management’s efforts demonstrate that day-after-day, natural gas vehicles get the job done while providing lower-emissions, quieter operation, and reliable service. As a result of Waste Management’s leadership, many other refuse operators are making the move to natural gas.
“Waste Management’s mission is to maximize resource value, while minimizing environmental impact so that our customers, our company, our economy and our environment can thrive,” said Jim Trevathan, Waste Management executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Today’s milestone is certainly a stellar example of this, and we’re proud to be the leader in the adoption of natural gas for our heavy duty fleet and we plan to do even more!”
Waste Management’s newly-deployed trucks are powered by Cummins Westport’s low-NOx natural gas engines. These engines are over eighty percent cleaner than the current federal emission standards, providing significant emission reductions of ozone-forming pollutants, resulting in cleaner air for the communities they serve. Waste Management also is a leader in developing and using renewable natural gas (RNG), produced at landfills turning trash into clean, green energy used to power its trucks. RNG-powered vehicles offset greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent.
“NGVAmerica today offers it congratulations to a true industry leader,” said NGVAmerica Chairman Mitchell Pratt. “The benefits of natural gas and its ability to transform transportation in America while reducing foreign energy dependency and creating jobs is undeniable, it is great to be able to point to true success stories like Waste Management.”
Trillium to Build CNG Station for California Transit District
August 10, 2017
Love’s Trillium CNG was recently selected by Oxnard-based Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD) in Southern California to design and build a CNG fueling station for its fleet of CNG buses. GCTD, which provides nearly 4 million passenger trips annually, is building a new maintenance and operations facility that includes a new administration and operations building, fleet maintenance and repair building, and a CNG fueling station. GCTD contracted with Icon West and Trillium to design and build the CNG portion of the project.
“This new fueling station will serve our needs as we expand our fleet and provide more service to the residents of our district,” said Steven Brown, general manager for GCTD. “With the capability to house 125 buses and more than 400 employees at the new facility, we will continue providing service with clean CNG fueled buses that help improve the quality of life in Western Ventura County.”
The private CNG station will fuel 56 buses that will operate in Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura and the unincorporated areas of Ventura County. The CNG portion of the new station includes three compressors, storage, a dual-tower, automatic regeneration dryer, three single-hose transit dispensers, and a dual-hose light duty dispenser. The new station is scheduled to open in fall 2018.
AMP Americas Receives $47 Million to Grow RNG and CNG Fueling Operations
August 10, 2017
AMP Americas has announced a $47 million equity commitment from Houston-based EIV Capital, a private equity firm focused on the energy industry, that will allow AMP Americas to expand operations across its businesses.
AMP Americas operates three business units: Renewable Dairy Fuels produces 100 percent RNG at its biogas facility at Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana, ampCNG owns and operates a nationwide network of 20 public-access, fast fill CNG fueling stations, and ampRenew sources RNG for partner CNG stations and ampCNG stations and provides risk management to help fleets and station owners reduce risk and save money. By taking advantage of an abundant domestic fuel source—dairy waste—and converting it into valuable, clean, carbon-negative transportation fuel, AMP Americas is saving fleets money, improving air quality and reducing GHG emissions.
“As an integrated clean energy company with production and distribution assets across the country, we wanted a partner with proven success in both the traditional and renewable energy sectors that could help us scale and execute our aggressive growth plans,” said Grant Zimmerman, CEO at AMP Americas. “EIV Capital has an excellent track record growing energy businesses and will help us as we invest in new biogas production, new fueling stations, and in growing our team.”
The Transit Authority for the City of Omaha Adds New CNG MOBY Buses
August 8, 2017
Metro’s Board of Directors has approved the purchase of nine CNG powered buses for Metro’s paratransit service, MOBY, a curb-to-curb complementary paratransit service operated within the Omaha city limits. It provides transportation for ADA-certified trips within three-fourths of a mile on each side of all fixed routes. The new natural gas powered vehicles will replace current vehicles that have reached the end of their useful life.
The introduction of CNG-powered vehicles is part of a larger sustainability initiative by Metro to transition to more environmentally-friendly fuel options. Metro was also recently awarded a competitive federal grant for $2.4 million to help purchase CNG-powered buses to enhance Metro’s fixed route fleet. These vehicles will assist in maintaining air quality and reduce harmful toxins and greenhouse gases, furthering Metro’s commitment to environmental practices and sustainability.
Metro is sourcing these vehicles through a competitively-bid contract through the State of Nebraska, which was awarded to Master’s Transportation on March 23, 2017. The $801,000 purchase is financed with federal matching funds. The FTA’s contribution of $680,850 will be matched by a $100,000 grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust and $20,150 allocation from Metro.
LSG Sky Chefs Begins Fueling with Clean Energy at DFW International Airport
August 10, 2017
Clean Energy Fuels announced today that LSG Sky Chefs, a leading provider of airline catering, will use Clean Energy stations to power a new fleet of CNG vehicles at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport in Texas.
The new fleet of 20 CNG catering trucks is anticipated to use 50,000 GGEs each year and will be able to fuel at Clean Energy’s existing station at DFW. The purchase of the trucks was supported by a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to replace LSG Sky Chef’s aging diesel fleet.
“At LSG Sky Chefs, we have a strong commitment to both our customers and the communities we serve,” said Todd Liddle, Director of Last Mile Logistics at LSG Sky Chefs. “By using alternative fuels such as natural gas, we can cut our greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to offer world class service.”
EPA, DOT Open Comment Period on GHG Standards for Cars and Light Trucks
August 10, 2017
In a joint Federal Register notice, the U.S. EPA and the DOT opened a public comment period on the reconsideration of the January 2017 Final Determination for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for cars and light trucks for model years (MY) 2022-2025. Separately, EPA is also taking comment on whether the MY 2021 standards are appropriate. The Agency is inviting the public to submit relevant data and information that can inform a final determination of the standards.
“We are moving forward with an open and robust review of emissions standards, consistent with the timeframe provided in our regulations,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “We encourage the public to submit the best-available and most up-to-date information, so that we can get back on track with what the regulation actually requires of the Agency.”
In March 2017, EPA and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the Trump Administration’s decision to revisit the Midterm Evaluation Process, which was established as a part of the 2012 final greenhouse gas emissions standards for model years 2017-2025. This requires EPA to determine, no later than April 1, 2018, whether the 2022-2025 standards determined by the previous administration are appropriate. If the Agency believes that the final determination issued by the past administration is not realistic, it would submit a new proposal for public comment.
In its July 26, 2017 “Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Model Year 2022–2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that as part of its upcoming Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rulemaking, it may evaluate the model year 2021 standards it finalized in 2012 to ensure they remain “maximum feasible” (See 82 FR 34742). In today’s notice, in the interest of harmonization between the GHG and CAFE programs, EPA is also requesting comment on whether the light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas standards established for model year 2021 are appropriate.
As part of the rulemaking establishing GHG standards for MYs 2017-2025, EPA included a Mid-term Evaluation for the MY 2022-2025 standards. EPA regulations require EPA to determine whether or not the existing standards for model years remain appropriate under section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act. The Final Determination is the last step in a Midterm Evaluation process and must be completed by April 1, 2018.
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