Wisconsin County to Convert Additional 75 Vehicles to Renewable CNG

Dane County, Wisconsin has announced bold climate change initiatives in a 2017 budget proposal. The proposed budget would accelerate the county’s conversion of its cars, trucks and other fleet vehicles to cleaner burning renewable CNG. The budget includes funds to purchase 75 CNG vehicles by the end of next year, including nearly one-third of the county’s highway fleet.

“Dane County has a consistent track record of pursuing cleaner, greener sources of energy, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, and reinventing county operations to make them run better not only for the public, but also the environment,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. “This is our boldest action yet to address climate change and lead the way for our community and the State of Wisconsin.”

The county has also partnered with the private sector to build manure digesters near Waunakee and Middleton that capture methane that can be converted to clean-burning RNG. The county says using more of the RNG produced at these sites can reduce carbon emissions by another 30,000 tons per year.