Legislation introduced by Representative Josh Cockroft (HB2954) would set up a revolving fund for counties to convert gasoline and diesel fueled vehicles to a CNG fueled alternative. CNG is cheaper, cleaner and fully domestic, in fact it is totally Oklahoma produced. Oklahoma is the third most poducing state for Natural Gas behind Alaska and Texas. In addition to pulling Natural Gas from the ground, Natural Gas can also be produced from refuse. Capturing Natural Gas to power vehicles from land fills is growing.
Cleveland County bought two Ford F250 CNG bi-fuel pickup trucks last spring. The premium cost for the CNG package from Ford was aproximately $8,500. This price has been driven down by the leadership of Governor Fallin and her Energy First campaign. Fallin and 4 other Governors meet with the big 3 to challenge them to produce an OEM pick-up trucks. Cleveland County has reaped the rewards of low cost CNG. On average, over the past 10 months the county has paid just at $1.00 for CNG gas equivilent compared to the $2.49 per/gallon of gasoline.
Representative Cockroft’s legislation sets up a revolving fund from a small percentage from the Gross Production Tax that is dedicated to Oklahoma’s general revenue. It is estimated to be $12,000,000 annually for 3 years. The money would be offered to each of the 77 Oklahoma Counties to convert from gasoline to CNG fleets. And this is not just for pick-up trucks. Sheriff transport vehicles and tractor-trucks (semi-trucks and dump trucks). Infustructure for fueling these vehicles would also be funded out of this revolving fund.
“Natural gas is a proven fuel source that comes from right here in Oklahoma. The fuel cost savings and lower emissions make it a great alternative for county fleets.” – Oklahoma County Commissioner Ray Vaughn
“I recently purchased CNG trucks for my district and it was a great investment. CNG technology breaks us away from foreign oil dependency and delivers massive fuel savings with lower emissions.” – Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan
“I love the idea of CNG vehicles coming to the counties. This legislation will be a great tool to get rid of our old gas guzzlers and replace them with clean, efficient vehicles. Representative Cockroft did a great job with this legislation.” – Canadian County Commissioner Jack Stewart
“Converting all Oklahoma’s counties fleets to natural gas would be a huge step in the right direction. I would love the ability to use my fuel costs savings towards preservation of roads and bridges in my district. This is a great legislative idea.” – Ottawa County Commissioner Russell Earls
“CNG is good for the environment and good for Oklahoma. When we go to fuel our CNG truck, the gas could very well be from an Oklahoma gas well.” – Commissioner Rod Cleveland District 1 Cleveland County
“The addition of CNG vehicles to our Fleet has been a great benefit to Cleveland County. We have tracked our dollars saved for the citizens in fuel savings and have been very pleased. This proposed legislation will be an outstanding benefit for all 77 counties as we move forward in this initiative.” – Cleveland County Commissioner Darry Stacy
Several municipalities and counties across the nation are currently converting their petroleum fueled fleets to CNG. One such is Dane County in Wisconsin.
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi unveiled the newest addition to the county’s growing fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles today – a cutting-edge snow plow that runs exclusively on the cheaper, cleaner, fuel. Dane County is the first to pilot the new equipment in Wisconsin.
The County Executive also detailed next steps the county will take to create a road map for conversion of its vehicle fleet to run on CNG by 2023. The county’s current CNG use has helped achieve fuel and maintenance cost savings – a nice valentine for Dane County’s taxpayers.
The average county plow consumes 2,400 gallons of diesel fuel per year. The renewable CNG the county generates from decaying garbage at its Rodefeld landfill costs the county the gasoline equivalent of $1.25 a gallon. With diesel prices topping off at nearly $4 a gallon locally, that amounts to over $6,000 in fuel savings per CNG plow per year.
“The county’s fleet of snow plows has gotten a real workout this winter and this new CNG technology holds great promise for reducing fuel and maintenance costs,” said Parisi. “By using more of the cheaper, cleaner, renewable CNG that we make right here in Dane County at our landfill we’re making an investment that makes sense for taxpayers and the environment.”
The 2014 county budget invested $2.3 million to acquire 13 new CNG vehicles to replace aging vehicles in the fleet, including 8 snow plows. The county currently has 30 CNG vehicles in its fleet.
The county’s switch to CNG has offset the use of approximately 25,000 gallons of diesel and gasoline, saving county taxpayers roughly $50,000 annually. These savings continue to grow as more CNG vehicles are added to the county’s vehicle fleet.
Because CNG burns so cleanly, natural gas vehicles cost less to maintain as well. CNG vehicles show significantly less engine wear, spark plugs last longer, and oil changes are needed less frequently.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CNG reduces carbon monoxide by 90 percent, ground-level ozone emissions by 75 percent, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25 percent. It produces little or no fine particle pollution.
The County Executive also announced that, pending final approval by the Dane County Board, advising and accounting firm Baker Tilly will be awarded a contract to help the county develop a roadmap for expanded CNG use throughout county operations.
The strategic plan will assess the possibilityof converting the county’s entire fleet to CNG vehicles in the next 10 years, taking into consideration fueling station infrastructure; vehicle and equipment maintenance; staff training; and other costs.
It is time for Oklahoma to demenstrate the effiecency and practical use of CNG fueled vehicles by being a leader for the rest of the county. I would ask that you support this important legislation for Oklahoma’s future.