FIRST NATURAL GAS SNOWPLOW IN WISCONSIN GOES INTO SERVICE

The ongoing conversion of Dane County’s (Wisconsin) fleet of vehicles from diesel to CNG had a first on Friday: the first CNG-powered snowplow in Wisconsin. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi unveiled the new snow plow at a news conference. “The county’s fleet of snow plows has gotten a real workout this winter,” Parisi said in a prepared statement. “This new CNG technology holds great promise for reducing fuel and maintenance costs.” The conversion to CNG is saving Dane County money in two ways: The county produces its own biomethane at Madison landfill, and the gas costs much less than diesel fuel. The diesel-powered snowplows use 2,400 gallons of fuel per year. CNG costs the County $1.25 per GGE, so the CNG snow plow should save about $6,000 with diesel selling around $4 a gallon. Parisi said the county has 30 CNG vehicles now, with 13 new ones coming in 2014, including eight snow plows. The goal is to have the whole fleet of county vehicles on CNG by 2023.