NEW NATURAL GAS FUELING STATION UNVEILED
Last Updated - 10/14/10 05:10 pm
EGG HARBOR TWP.--A new natural gas fueling station that's open to the public was unveiled today. Officials say it's the fuel of the future.
Cleaner, cheaper, better. That's how officials today described compressed natural gas that will soon be available to the public at a new fueling station. "Compressed natural gas saves anywhere from 50 cents to $1 over the price of traditional gasoline," said Tom Woodruff, President of the Atlantic City Jitney Assoc., "but also, it's cleaner burning, adds to engine life, so economically, it's a must win."
Located at the ACUA's Delilah Road facility in Egg Harbor Township, it's the first public fueling station of its kind open in the area. "Compressed natural gs is cheaper than gasoline and diesel fuel on an energy equivalent basis," said Robert Fatzinger with South Jersey Gas, which partnered on the project, "environmentally, each trash truck that converts from diesel fuel to CNG is equivalent to removing the emissions from about 300 cars on the road."
As more companies and municipalities move towards replacing trucks that run off diesel with natural gas, the station is something that's desperately needed. "The ACUA today, through the opening of this station is taking a step towards stimulating that growth," said Woodruff.
"Trucks are one of the largest sources of the greenhouse emissions," said Rick Dovey, President of the ACUA, "that's why it's important. Actually, going after heavy duty trucks is an important component in cleaning up the air."
The ACUA now has five trucks that run on natural gas and they're working on converting their entire fleet. It's a change they hope others will make, and one the Atlantic City Jitney Association is in the midst of. "We needed a new fleet and the thought process was, while we're doing this fleet, let's look at other ways to save money and help the environment," explained Woodruff, "CNG just popped up."
Soon, the entire fleet of the iconic jitneys will be green, literally and figuratively, helping spread the word about the benefits of using natural gas.
Officials say using natural gas, which is in abundance and domestically produced, is also a step towards reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
Buck