The average cost for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in the Shreveport-Bossier City area was $2.70 Friday, while diesel was $2.96.
The cost of a gallon equivalent of compressed natural gas was about $1.50.
By Wednesday, people who own CNG vehicles will be able to take advantage of those savings.
Bossier City plans to officially open its CNG and E85 ethanol fueling station to the public Wednesday. The $2 million station on East Texas Street has been constructed, and a few companies, in addition to Bossier City and Bossier Parish governments, have been using it already.
Rodney Oar, Bossier City's director of fleet services, said they plan to use the station primarily for several dump trucks that have been converted to CNG and the E85 ethanol for the city's other vehicles. All future vehicles bought by the city will run on CNG, he added.
The station is the first in the area to offer CNG to the public, and hopes are high that this is the first of many.
Bossier City has another station under construction off of state Highway 72.
Shreveport also has gotten in on the act. SporTran has started construction of a CNG fueling station for its fleet of buses, and the city has plans to open a station for its fleet by summer 2011.
While the Shreveport CNG fueling station won't be as big as Bossier City's station, Shreveport plans to have one pump open to the public, said Wes Wyche, director of environmental services for Shreveport.
"There's no doubt the success of Bossier City's station will dictate our future plans," he said. "There are a lot of benefits with CNG. The upfront costs are higher, but state and federal incentives help bridge the gap, and over time, you will save money."
Just this week, Pilot Flying J fueling stations and Clean Energy Fuels announced a partnership to offer CNG at Flying J stations across the country.
The closest Flying J to the area is in Greenwood, off Interstate 20.
Bruce Russell, a spokesman for Clean Energy, said they have not announced plans to include CNG at the Greenwood location, but added that could change in the near future.
The Haynesville Shale natural gas deposit has been the driving force behind the activity.
The investment local governments have committed to building CNG infrastructure is a sure sign that natural gas is going to be a major part of the local economy for years to come, said Kevin McCotter, Chesapeake Energy's director of corporate development for Louisiana.
"Natural gas is a much cleaner burning fuel, and it's easier on the maintenance of engines," McCotter said. "On top of that, this is a purely domestic fuel that is developed right here our own country."
Buck
