Oregon Gov. Announces $4 Million to Fund CNG Projects

Oregon Governor Kitzhaber recently announced awards for eight projects to spur the CNG market in Oregon and diversify fuel options for Oregon consumers. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will award a total of $4 million in federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds to the qualified projects. “Today we take an important step forward in diversifying our fuel supply,” Governor Kitzhaber said. “These awards will support projects that help Oregonians transition to lower-cost, lower-carbon clean fuel.” The winning projects include seven CNG fueling stations and one renewable natural gas station, which will be used for a variety of applications, including transit, refuse and public fleets. Five of the projects are located along the I-5 corridor from Portland to Sutherlin and will provide CNG fueling stations to businesses located throughout Oregon. Other projects will make investments in Oregon communities that currently lack CNG infrastructure, such as Bend. Projects were selected based on a variety of factors, including location, reduction in air emissions, and public benefit. The winning projects are: City of Wilsonville, City of Bend, Clean Water Services (Hillsboro), Smalley Trucking (Sutherlin), Tyree Oil (Roseburg), Fitz Enterprise (NE Portland), Metro (NW Portland) and TriMet (Beaverton). Governor Kitzhaber is committed to converting 20 percent of Oregon’s large fleets to alternative fuels in the next ten years, which is outlined in the Governor’s 10 Year Energy Action Plan available at: http://goo.gl/uwavPD. More information on the ODOT CMAQ program is available at: http://goo.gl/RbrBGP.