Metro Community Introduces First of 96 Natural Gas Vehicles

Omaha, NE - The latest addition to the Metropolitan Community College (MCC) vehicle fleet will shed fuel costs while promoting clean energy as the first of 96 natural gas-powered vehicles to be deployed in the Omaha and Lincoln area.

MCC's Chevrolet Express passenger van, fully converted from a petroleum-fueled vehicle to a clean-fuel compressed natural gas vehicle, is the result of a $33 million regional partnership to boost the number of natural gas vehicles on the road and build public Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling stations in Nebraska and the Midwest.

The Midwest Region Alternative Fuels Project will build two public CNG fueling stations in Omaha, bring 96 natural gas vehicles to Nebraska's roads and work to reduce the area's transportation emissions. A Department of Energy grant (Award DE-EE0002538) provided the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition with $15 million toward the project, with another $16.7 million provided by regional partners in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri; $4.8 million of that amount will fund projects in Nebraska. The Metropolitan Utilities District (M.U.D.) is the regional coordinator for the Nebraska and Iowa projects.

"By partnering with Metropolitan Community College, the Metropolitan Utilities District is reducing the consumption of foreign oil, lowering the cost of fueling your vehicle by 50 percent and improving the air quality of the metro area," said Doug Clark, vice president of governmental affairs and marketing for M.U.D.  "No other readily available fuel offers the benefits of CNG, and no other educational institution in the area can provide the technical and professional tools to support the transition to this cleaner, cheaper and American fuel like Metropolitan Community College."

MCC's vehicle runs entirely from natural gas, which costs about half as much as gasoline or diesel. Utilizing the alternative fuel vehicle will reduce the College's transportation emissions as part of its overall sustainability strategy—natural gas produces 20-29 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions and about 90 percent fewer pollutants. Nearly all natural gas used in the U.S. is produced here or in Canada.

MCC hosted two CNG workshops to convert the Chevrolet van from petroleum-powered to natural gas and to examine general CNG vehicle systems; industry stakeholders and students were invited to learn more about the process. The van is currently being used to transport parts and maintenance equipment among MCC's seven locations. A small fueling unit at MCC's Fort Omaha Campus supplies the compressed natural gas for the vehicle.

"MCC takes a comprehensive approach to sustainable practices on campus, in the classroom and in the community," said Daniel Lawse, MCC sustainable practices coordinator. "We are committed to reducing our negative impact on the environment, and the natural gas-powered van is another way we are reducing our emissions by seeking and implementing lower-cost, cleaner solutions."

Other sustainability efforts at MCC aimed at reducing transportation emissions include the Pass to Class partnership with Metro public transportation, which provides credit students with free bus passes. MCC shares physical space with the Metro bus hub at South Omaha Campus, making bus transportation easy at MCC's most heavily trafficked campus.

MCC's natural gas-fueled vehicle will be on display at the Buy the Big O! Show, Oct. 13, 8:30–5:30 p.m. at the Qwest Center.

Buck