CATS ‘go green’ with stimulus




By SCOTT DYER
Advocate staff writer
Published: Mar 23, 2009
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The East Baton Rouge bus system is “going green” with new environmentally friendly buses using $3.6 million in federal economic stimulus money, officials said.

Capital Area Transit System General Manager Carol Cranshaw said Friday that there’s a strong push to buy new buses powered by compressed natural gas, or CNG.

CATS is also receiving another $1.85 million in federal stimulus money to purchase eight smaller environmentally friendly vehicles; a GPS system to track buses, and video surveillance equipment to monitor the buses and the bus terminal.

Cranshaw said CATS officials had initially talked about using the stimulus money to purchase six hybrid buses that run on diesel fuel and batteries, and two CNG-powered trolleys. But she said CATS is looking at six CNG buses and two CNG trolleys — for a total of $3.6 million — instead.

All of CATS’ existing trolleys run on CNG, Cranshaw said.

CATS Chief Executive Officer John Denman said Friday that the plan to purchase CNG-powered vehicles is still subject to approval by the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Policy Committee, whose members are mayors and parish presidents in the Baton Rouge area.

In addition to the new buses, Cranshaw said CATS will likely use an additional $300,000 in stimulus money to purchase eight more CNG-powered vehicles — six replacement cars for CATS supervisors and two maintenance vehicles.

Cranshaw said the push to go with CNG vehicles came primarily from East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden, who has been touting its benefits for about 20 years.

A long-time champion of CNG, Holden sponsored several bills in the Louisiana Legislature promoting its use in state government.

As mayor-president, Holden has arranged for city-parish government to purchase several CNG-powered vehicles.

“It’s a cleaner-burning fuel, and in addition to the benefits to the environment, there are economic benefits because it’s a resource from here in Louisiana that generates severance taxes,” Holden said.

CNG buses cost $420,000 each or about $70,000 more than regular diesel buses. The hybrid buses are about $500,000 each, making them the most expensive option.

R.J. Goebel, planning director for the Capital Region Planning Commission, said there’s a good chance that CATS could receive another $1.7 million in stimulus money through the U.S. Department of Energy for CNG-related expenses


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