|
CNG ARRIVES IN IDAHO WITH TWO NEW FUELING
STATIONS AND PUBIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
The Treasure Valley Clean
Cities Coalition (TVCCC) in Boise,
Idaho, has kicked off a two-year campaign to
promote Compressed Natural Gas, thanks to a Department of
Energy Clean Cities grant that is helping to build
Idaho’s first CNG public fueling
stations.
The two-pronged initiative, which
the TVCCC has branded “Shift to CNG,” consists of an aggressive push to identify and persuade commercial fleet
operators whose bottom line could benefit by converting to
CNG, as well as a broader outreach campaign designed to
educate the general public about the benefits of CNG as a
transportation fuel.
The Coalition
benefits from the collaboration of a strong partner in the
effort. Allied Waste, a Republic Services company,
and Idaho’s largest trash & recycling hauler, is building
the public pumps in Boise and Nampa, following their
decision to convert their local fleet of over 120 refuse
trucks to CNG.
“Allied Waste has truly assumed leadership in our community,
not only by making a decision that will significantly impact
our air quality but also by providing a compelling case
study that can inspire other businesses to look closely at
the CNG option,” said Beth Baird, the TVCCC coordinator. “In
addition, their investment in building
Idaho’s first publicly available CNG
pumps will hopefully provide further impetus to build CNG
infrastructure throughout the state.”
The TVCCC kicked off the campaign in June with an
educational luncheon for fleet operators at the local office
of Cummins
Rocky
Mountain, the
distributor for engine designer and manufacturer Cummins
Inc. The event, publicized in the
Idaho Business Review,
generated a number of promising “leads”—public and private
fleets who might consider moving to CNG.
The
Shift to CNG team has been busy developing a branded
identity and educational materials. They have also conducted
market research to better understand what the public
currently knows and doesn’t know about CNG. Initial results
suggest that the general public, and even most fleet
operators, have significant gaps in their knowledge and thus
there is tremendous opportunity to educate people on the
benefits of a transportation fuel that is cleaner, more
affordable, and domestically produced.
The
public pumps are scheduled to open this fall, when Shift to
CNG will also kick off a media campaign to raise public
awareness.
......More
News |
