NGVAmerica News Week in Review: June 12, 2017
- Matheson Trucking Doubles Natural Gas Vehicle Fleet in One Year
- Governor Wolf Announces Opening of Another CNG Fueling Station in Pennsylvania
- NGVAmerica to Host Final Stop of 2nd Annual NGV Road Rally Across America
- City’s Second Public-Access CNG Station Officially Opens in Oklahoma
- Ozinga Celebrates Opening of New CNG Station in Illinois
- Pennsylvania Senate Approves Bill to Promote Use of Heavy Duty NGVs
- Trillium CNG and Musket Raise Money for Houston Children at Golf Tournament
- Philly Shipyard Begins Construction of Modern LNG-Powered Containership Fleet
Matheson Trucking Doubles Natural Gas Vehicle Fleet in One Year
June 6, 2017
Matheson Trucking, Inc. announced it is adding 27 new CNG tractors to its clean energy fleet in 2017, increasing the company’s total to 64 tractors powered by clean-burning natural gas.
“Our firm is dedicated to a policy of increasing the use of clean energy fuels to improve air quality, decrease diesel fuel consumption and reliance on foreign oil, while helping to preserve our environment,” said Charles Mellor, chief operating officer. “These new CNG tractors are part of that ongoing commitment—with more to come.”
The company logs approximately 600 trips each day, totaling an average of 98,600 miles per day driven nationwide. Using natural gas dramatically reduces GHG emissions compared to diesel along with significant reductions in sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide.
Matheson began converting its fleet to clean energy-powered tractors in 2014. Last year the company had 25 CNG and 12 LNG tractors for a total of 37. This year 27 new CNG tractors are being added. Fifteen of these already support USPS shipments to and from the Los Angeles basin and Las Vegas, and 12 more will be ordered and placed in service this fall in Denver. Across all divisions Matheson’s fleet now numbers 286 tractors pulling a mix of 342 trailers with an average length of 53 feet.
“We will continue to expand our fleet of natural gas or alternative fuel powered tractors wherever it is practical and cost effective to do so,” said Debra White, vice president for information technology and fleet maintenance.
Today the company has nine Matheson Postal Services terminals supported by maintenance shops in eight western cities, and also provides Terminal Handling Services at 27 metropolitan airports across the country.
Governor Wolf Announces Opening of Another CNG Fueling Station in Pennsylvania
June 6, 2017
Governor Tom Wolf announced the opening of the third of 29 CNG fueling stations planned as part of a Public Private Partnership. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) representatives joined officials from Trillium CNG, the Mid-Mon Valley Transportation Authority (MMVTA), and state and local officials in Donora today to mark opening of the facility. The event also celebrated the opening of the authority’s new operational facility made possible by federal, state and local investments.
“This P3 is helping transit agencies reduce costs and use resources available in our own backyard,” said Governor Wolf. “I’m pleased to see the great progress we’re making in bringing these benefits to every corner of the state.”
Through the $84.5 million statewide P3 project, Trillium will design, build, finance, operate and maintain CNG fueling stations at 29 public transit agency sites through a 20-year P3 agreement. Following other stations will be constructed over the next five years and Trillium is also making CNG-related upgrades to existing transit maintenance facilities.
As part of the conversion in Donora, the MMVTA will convert 24 buses and five paratransit buses to CNG, adding to their existing eight CNG buses. The authority estimates saving more than $150,000 annually based on current diesel costs and their diesel usage of roughly 185,000 gallons per year.
The CNG improvements will boost MMVTA’s efficiency and improved operations brought by the new, energy efficient facility that renovated a former steel-mill building into a facility for bus storage and light bus maintenance.
The facility was made possible with nearly $4.3 million in federal funds, more than $525,000 in state investments and $150,000 in local funds. PennDOT’s overall P3 project includes CNG fueling accessible to the public at six transit agency sites, with the option to add to additional 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 was 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. To learn more about this and other P3 projects visit www.P3forPA.pa.gov.
NGVAmerica to Host Final Stop of 2nd Annual NGV Road Rally Across America
June 12, 2017
This week, NGVAmerica will host the final stop of the 2nd annual ‘From Sea-to-Shining-Sea’ NGV Road Rally Across America. This year’s 18-stop, 4,825-mile journey started outside of Long Beach, CA on Monday, June 5th and concludes in Washington, DC on Friday, June 16th at Freedom Plaza.
The west coast-to-east coast road rally not only dispels the myth of NGV ‘range anxiety’ but will also draw media attention to the historic VW settlement program and serve to educate state and federal officials on how NGVs are the most cost-effective use of funds for clean transportation projects outlined in the $2.9 billion Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund.
Additional events were held in Tolleson, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; Tulsa, OK; Conway, AR; Dickson, TN; Knoxville, TN; Salisbury, NC; Newport News, VA; Houston, TX; Leesville, LA; Atlanta, GA; Spartanburg, SC; Fair Oaks, IN; Wixom, MI; Columbus, OH; and York, PA.
The Road Rally will culminate in Washington, DC’s Freedom Plaza, where many natural gas-powered vehicles will be on display, including street sweeping trucks, refuse trucks, dump trucks, and light duty vehicles. The event is open to the public, who can learn about the many benefits of using clean-burning, domestic natural gas in transportation and the variety of vehicles available today that operate on natural gas.
The convoy is expected to enter Washington around 11:00 a.m. on Friday, with formal remarks following. For more information, visit www.ngvamerica.org.
City’s Second Public-Access CNG Station Officially Opens in Oklahoma
June 8, 2017
Officials from the City of Tulsa, the Oklahoma Department of Energy and Environment, and the Oklahoma Department of Labor held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the City’s second public-access CNG station. The opening ceremony was held as part of the NGV Road Rally Across America, a coast-to-coast road trip powered by natural gas and presented by NGVAmerica, the American Public Gas Association (APGA), and the American Gas Association (AGA).
Oklahoma Secretary of Energy Michael Teague presented an award to Kathy Taylor, City of Tulsa Chief of Economic Development, on behalf of the City of Tulsa, recognizing the city as a leader in the CNG industry. Tulsa is one of a handful of cities that own and operate multiple CNG stations and have converted significant portions of their fleet to CNG. New Solutions, Tulsa’s trash hauler, has also converted its fleet vehicles to CNG.
“It’s great that the NGV Road Rally Across America drivers stopped in Tulsa on their way across the country and helped us celebrate the opening of our second CNG fueling station,” said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum. “CNG is an alternative fuel that is produced locally, allows our fleet to operate more efficiently, saves the taxpayers in our city money, and gives the City a bit more certainty when budgeting for fuel.”
Tulsa-based ONE Gas (formerly ONG) provided grilled food after the media event, where multiple CNG vehicles were on display. In addition to the City of Tulsa, local event organizers and sponsors included Tulsa Gas Technologies, Tulsa Area Clean Cities, ONE Gas, Arkansas Oklahoma Gas, Centerpoint Energy, and OKIE811.
Located next to Tulsa Transit’s Memorial Midtown Station, the new unmanned CNG station will be open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The station will be used to fuel the City’s growing CNG fleet, as well as Tulsa Transit buses and public vehicles. The City currently operates 58 CNG vehicles.
The new City of Tulsa CNG station was approved by voters through the 2014 Improve Our Tulsa Sales Tax package and cost approximately $1.8 million. The City of Tulsa saves close to $20,000 annually in fuel savings from CNG fleet vehicles.
Ozinga Celebrates Opening of New CNG Station in Illinois
June 12, 2017
Ozinga held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening of its new concrete production plant in Des Plaines, Illinois, that features a CNG fueling station. The new station enabled Ozinga to purchase new, cutting-edge CNG mixer trucks and assign them to the Des Plaines yard to minimize noise and exhaust emissions.
In the past 12 months, Ozinga built a completely enclosed concrete mixing plant at the Jarvis location. The high-capacity plant encloses any generated dust and noise out of sight and out of earshot. The sand and gravel used to make the Des Plaines concrete are now dumped in underground storage bins and fed into the mixing plant in covered conveyors.
This completely automated storage system for cement and aggregates in underground bins and silos coupled with the concrete water recycling system enables a high-quality, environmentally friendly production process with high speed multiple loading of Ozinga’s iconic red-and-white striped trucks. The yard now sets an industry standard with low noise levels and zero significant emissions into the atmosphere.
“This facility is a statement to Ozinga’s commitment to serving our families, communities, customers, and country for generations to come,” said executive vice president and owner Paul Ozinga.
Pennsylvania Senate Approves Bill to Promote Use of Heavy Duty NGVs
June 6, 2017
A bill introduced by Sen. Wayne Langerholc (R-35) to promote the use of natural gas in larger vehicles was unanimously approved by the Pennsylvania State Senate. Senate Bill 589 increases the maximum allowable weight for motor carrier vehicles that are powered by natural gas from 80,000 pounds to 82,000 pounds, to accommodate the added weight of natural gas fuel systems.
“This legislation is a win-win for Pennsylvania,” Langerholc said. “It both encourages the use of natural gas to power our larger trucks and updates our laws to ensure that federal transportation funds continue to flow to our Commonwealth, which is the hub of interstate commerce for the entire East Coast.”
When the U.S. Congress passed the FAST Act in 2015, it included a provision that permitted states to increase their allowable weights for natural-gas-powered vehicles to promote the use of the cleaner-burning fuel. A dozen states have already enacted laws to carry out this provision.
Senate Bill 589 now goes to the House for its consideration.
Trillium CNG and Musket Raise Money for Houston Children at Golf Tournament
June 8, 2017
Trillium CNG and approximately 350 sponsors recently enjoyed an afternoon of golf and networking at Musket Corporation’s fifth annual Drive for a Child (DFAC) at Topgolf in Houston, Texas, that raises funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. This year, Musket and Trillium CNG raised $310,000, bringing the total amount raised for the lifetime of the event to more than $1.1 million.
“When we started this event five years ago, we hoped it would become a successful fundraiser, but I don’t think we realized how quickly it would progress,” said JP Fjeld-Hansen, Vice President of Musket. “Texas Children’s benefits through the dollars raised, and our sponsors benefit because it’s a great networking experience.”
Philly Shipyard Begins Construction of Modern LNG-Powered Containership Fleet
June 8, 2017
Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI) has begun construction of up to four new environmentally friendly containerships to be delivered in 2020 and 2021, and is actively promoting the formation of a new entrant into the containership trade between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii to operate these vessels. Presently, this trade route is serviced by only two carriers and is reliant in part on a group of near end-of-life steamships.
When strict MARPOL/ECA emissions regulations take effect in 2020, several of the older steam powered vessels serving the Hawaii trade route today will be out of compliance without substantial, costly modifications. PSI says even if these aging steamships are modified, they would be less reliable and carry significantly higher operating costs than modern vessels in areas such as fuel consumption and manning and maintenance requirements.
The vessels will be capable of operating on LNG fuel and are being designed to address the present market trends for larger sized containers and faster transit times.
These modern containerships will be the direct continuation of the series of two similar 3,600 TEU Aloha class containerships with expected deliveries in 2018 and 2019 that PSI is presently constructing for the Hawaii containership trade.
NGV news & insights