UPS to Transition More Fleet Vehicles to Renewable Natural Gas

UPS has committed to further expanding the use of renewable natural gas (RNG) by supplying its fleet in Memphis, Tennessee, and Jackson, Mississippi, with an estimated 15 million DGE of RNG as part of a multi-year agreement with Memphis Light, Gas and Water and Atmos Energy Marketing.

“Renewable natural gas is a critical part of our strategy to expand our fuel sources and minimize the environmental impact associated with growing customer demand,” said Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president global engineering and sustainability. “We are using methane that otherwise would be released into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas emission and converting it to power our trucks while helping to promote the use of this renewable fuel in transportation.”

The deal is part of an initiative announced earlier this year by UPS to significantly expand its use of RNG in its fleet. The company has a goal of driving one billion miles with its alternative fuels fleet, known as the Rolling Laboratory by the end of 2017, an effort that is reducing its environmental impact.

The RNG will fuel more than 140 heavy duty trucks in Memphis and Jackson, part of UPS’s natural gas fleet. RNG, also known as biomethane, can be derived from renewable sources, including decomposing organic waste in landfills, wastewater treatment and agriculture. It is then distributed through the natural gas pipeline system.