NGVAmerica News Week in Review: December 18, 2017

• City of Sante Fe Awards Clean Energy New Multi-Use Station Fueling Agreement
• Latest Public-Private CNG Transit Fueling Station Opens in Pennsylvania
• Cummins Westport Earns 2018 Emissions Certificates for L9N and B6.7N Engines
• Flint’s MTA Works with Consumers Energy on New CNG Fuel Facility
• Oxford County Purchases CNG-Powered Snow Plows in Canada
• Ontario to Offer Rebates for Businesses Buying Low-Carbon Vehicles

City of Sante Fe Awards Clean Energy New Multi-Use Station Fueling Agreement

December 14, 2017

The City of Santa Fe, New Mexico, has contracted with Clean Energy to build a CNG fueling station for its transit and refuse fleets as well as offering access to the public. The unique station design will include fast-fill dispensers for Santa Fe Trails, the city’s transit agency, as well as time-fill dispensers installed nearby at the city’s Environmental Services Division for its refuse fleet. The public will be able to fuel their vehicles via a separate lane with its own quick-fill dispenser.

The station is expected to fuel 67 CNG transit, para-transit and refuse vehicles, and dispense approximately 440,000 GGEs per year, which is expected to increase as the solid waste department plans on increasing the size of their CNG fleet over the next 5 years.

“The City of Santa Fe is committed to operate in the most environmentally responsible manner possible. By fueling our fleet with CNG, we can decrease the amount of NOx and greenhouse gas emissions that are emitted into the air,” said Keith Wilson, with the City of Santa Fe’s Transit Division. “Not only is CNG cleaner, but it is also more cost effective, which is important for our taxpayers.”

The operations and maintenance contract will run for 8 years, beginning with the opening of the station scheduled for 2018.

Latest Public-Private CNG Transit Fueling Station Opens in Pennsylvania

December 14, 2017

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) representatives joined officials from Trillium CNG, Westmoreland County Transit Agency, and local officials in Westmoreland County to mark the opening of a new CNG fueling station in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Through the $84.5 million statewide P3 project, Trillium is designing, building, financing, and will operate and maintain CNG fueling stations at 29 public transit agency sites through a 20-year P3 agreement. Other stations will be constructed over the next five years, and Trillium is also making CNG-related upgrades to existing transit maintenance facilities.

“This P3 CNG program continues to move forward and will make use of a Pennsylvania-generated fuel resource,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “The benefits include more efficiency, cleaner burning fuels, and lower fuel costs for our transit agencies.”

As part of the conversion in Westmoreland County, the transit agency will convert 25 diesel buses and 16 paratransit buses to CNG. The authority estimates saving more than $400,000 annually based on current diesel costs and their diesel and gas usage of roughly 415,000 gallons per year.

PennDOT’s overall P3 project includes CNG fueling accessible to the public at six transit agency sites, with the option to add to sites in the future. PennDOT will receive a 15 percent royalty, excluding taxes, for each gallon of fuel sold to the public at public sites, which will be used to support the cost of the project.

Using the P3 procurement mechanism allows PennDOT to install the fueling stations faster than if a traditional procurement mechanism were used for each site, resulting in significant estimated capital cost savings of more than $46 million.

When the project is completed, the fueling stations will supply gas to more than 1,600 CNG buses at transit agencies across the state.

Stations have opened at:

• Cambria County Transportation Authority, Johnstown Facility, includes public fueling.
• Mid Mon Valley Transportation Authority.
• Central Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, York Facility, includes public fueling.
• Cambria County Transportation Authority, Ebensburg Facility
• Westmoreland County Transportation Authority
• Centre Area Transportation Authority
• Beaver County Transit Agency

A list of other agencies participating in the P3 project, in order of construction-start timeline, follows:

• Crawford Area Transportation Authority (2017)
• New Castle Area Transportation Authority (2017), includes public fueling.
• County of Lackawanna Transportation System (2017), includes public fueling.
• Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, Allentown Facility (2017)
• County of Lebanon Transportation Authority (2017)
• Altoona Metro Transit (2017)
• Central Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Gettysburg Facility (2018)
• Butler Transportation Authority (2018)
• Indiana County Transportation Authority (2018), includes public fueling.
• Erie Metropolitan Transportation Authority (2018), includes public fueling.
• Mercer County Regional Council of Governments (2018)
• Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation System (2018)
• Monroe County Transportation Authority (2019)
• Area Transportation Authority of North Central PA, Bradford Facility (2019)
• Area Transportation Authority of North Central PA, Johnsonburg Facility (2019)
• Area Transportation Authority of North Central PA, DuBois Facility (2020)
• Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, Easton Facility (2021)
• Luzerne County Transportation Authority (2021)
• Schuylkill Transportation System (2021)
• Transit Authority of Warren County (2021)
• Capital Area Transit (2021)
• Port Authority of Allegheny County (2021)

Cummins Westport Earns 2018 Emissions Certificates for L9N and B6.7N Engines

December 13, 2017

Cummins Westport announced that it has received certifications from both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for its 2018 L9N and B6.7N natural gas engines. Both engines meet CARB optional Low NOx standards, as well as 2017 EPA greenhouse gas emission (GHG) requirements, making them some of the cleanest engines available today for truck and bus customers.

The L9N is certified to CARB optional Low NOx standard of 0.02 g/bhp-hr—a 90 percent reduction from engines operating at the current EPA NOx limit of 0.2 g/bhp-hr. The L9N offers ratings from 250 to 320 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft peak torque, making it ideal for transit, shuttle and school bus, as well as medium duty truck and refuse applications.

The B6.7N is certified to CARB optional Low NOx standard of 0.1 g/bhp-hr—a 50 percent reduction from current EPA levels. Available with ratings from 200 to 240 horsepower and 560 lb-ft peak torque, the B6.7N is a great fit for school bus, shuttle, and medium duty truck applications.

Based on the ISL G and ISB6.7 G natural gas engines, the 2018 L9N and B6.7N build on the experience gained from over 80,000 Cummins Westport engines currently in service and provide a present-day solution to urban air quality issues. In addition to ultra low emissions, the L9N and B6.7N feature a new engine control module with improved durability, on-board diagnostic (OBD) capability, an enhanced maintenance-free three-way catalyst, and a closed crankcase ventilation system.

“Cummins Westport is proud to offer emissions-leading products for our truck and bus customers,” said Rob Neitzke, President of Cummins Westport. “The L9N and B6.7N engines offer customers reliability and performance with near-zero emissions today. Natural gas engines are a mature technology, and are supported by an established fueling and supply infrastructure, enabling fleets to incorporate near-zero emissions technology into their fleets.”

All CWI engines offer customers the choice of using CNG, LNG and RNG as a fuel. RNG is pipeline-quality natural gas produced from the decomposition of organic waste, which can come from a variety of sources such as dairy farms, landfills, and urban waste treatment plants. Combining Cummins Westport’s ultra low emission engines with RNG fuel provides additional and significant GHG reductions.

For 2018, the L9N and B6.7N will be available as a first-fit option from leading bus and truck manufacturers. Cummins Westport will also introduce the ISX12N natural gas engine as a first-fit option, which like the L9N, will meet the Optional Low NOx emissions level of 0.02 g/bhp-hr. Production of all three engines will begin in the first quarter of 2018.

The Gas Technology Institute, South Coast Air Quality Management District, SoCalGas, and the California Energy Commission provided engine development funding support.

Flint’s MTA Works with Consumers Energy on New CNG Fuel Facility

December 6, 2017

Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) in Flint, Michigan has entered in to an agreement with Consumers Energy to build and operate a public/private CNG fueling station that will be owned and operated by Consumers Energy and provide CNG to MTA’s fleet. The fueling station is an environmental mitigation project for Consumers Energy mandated by a 2014 consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Justice.

The MTA fleet will include 50 new CNG vehicles arriving over the next 20 months.  In addition to fulfilling MTA’s requirements for fueling, the station will be open seven days a week, 24 hours a day for public use. The station will be built on-site at the MTA’s alternative fuel facility located in Grand Blanc.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the MTA to advance our alternative fuel program for current and future needs while providing a benefit to area businesses and the public,” said Ed Benning, MTA General Manager and CEO. “We’re looking forward to working with Consumers Energy.”

Plans call for the elimination of all diesel vehicles in MTA’s fleet. The MTA is approaching an 80 percent alternative fuel fleet.

Oxford County Purchases CNG-Powered Snow Plows in Canada

December 15, 2017

Oxford County, Ontario has introduced five new vehicles to their feet using leading edge technology aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The vehicles include two brand new snow plows are run using CNG.

The snow plows cost $325,000 each, which is about $70,000 more than a traditional vehicle. However, these vehicles will make that money back over their life and have a significant impact on the county’s environmental footprint.

The enhancements to the County’s fleet will help achieve a projected 6.2 percent reduction in CO2 emissions per year, equivalent to keeping 38 barrels of oil in the ground.

These new additions bring the number of green fleet vehicles to seven, with plans to convert or purchase 13 more CNG hybrid vehicles in the coming months.

Ontario to Offer Rebates for Businesses Buying Low-Carbon Vehicles

December 14, 2017

In Canada, Ontario is helping businesses reduce their carbon impact through a new program that helps companies buy low-carbon vehicles and fuel-saving devices. This investment is part of Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan and is funded by proceeds from the province’s cap on pollution and carbon market.

The Green Commercial Vehicle Program will provide rebates towards the purchase of alternative-fuel vehicles and fuel-saving devices, making it more affordable for businesses to own and operate greener vehicles. Eligible vehicles and devices include electric and natural gas-powered trucks, aerodynamic and anti-idling devices, and electric refrigeration units.

Applications for the program will start in early 2018, and eligible vehicles and devices purchased after September 1, 2017 will qualify for the rebate.

Greenhouse gas emissions from road-based movement of freight in Ontario have doubled from 1990 to 2014. In 2015, the transportation sector accounted for about a third of Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Change Action Plan and carbon market form the backbone of Ontario’s strategy to cut greenhouse gas pollution to 15 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, 37 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050.

“We hope the program will encourage more businesses to make the switch to low-carbon vehicles that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transportation. “We’re committed to working with our partners and local businesses to modernize the way we do business and keep Ontario an attractive and sustainable place to work.”