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GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — Stepping up the availability and use of compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel could benefit from something as simple as coordination at the state and local level.
“We need to sit down and figure out a schedule to time our investment decisions, so investments in fueling infrastructure and fleets happen at the same time,” said T.J. Deora, director of the Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation.
Building compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations and buying or converting vehicles to run on CNG is costly, but the long-term benefits are substantial. Using CNG cuts down on polluting vehicle emissions, increases the market for a domestic fuel and supplants foreign oil imports.
In a special meeting meeting here Friday of the Garfield Clean Energy Advisory Board, Chairman Greg Russi told Deora about the organization's CNG working group, which includes local government leaders and Kirk Swallow, owner of the county's sole CNG fueling station in Rifle.
In turn, Deora introduced Alex Schroeder, the state agency's new transportation program manager charged with building the CNG market.
Deora also reported that his office is conferring with auto manufacturers, asking them to expedite production of cars, trucks and delivery vans ready to run on CNG. At present, only one vehicle, the Honda Civic, comes off the factory floor capable of burning CNG. Conversions for other vehicles can cost $10,000 to $12,000.
Earlier in the day, Deora and Schroeder met with Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) officials. Once Deora learned RFTA is poised to purchase 18 new buses, he made a case for buying buses that run on CNG and installing a fueling station in Aspen.
Deora noted that the Denver Metro Regional Transportation District (RTD) has used CNG-powered vehicles for the past 15 years to run the SkyRide service to Denver International Airport. He suggested bringing together RTD and RFTA officials to confer.
The CNG market could be further improved with the conversion of school buses, delivery vehicles, natural gas company fleets, and people-moving vans, such as the Colorado Mountain Express fleet, he said.
Development of CNG is one of three priorities for the Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation, Deora said.
The other two priorities are increasing energy efficiency by making it easier for property owners to finance efficiency upgrades, and increase overall “energy literacy,” the common understanding about the role of energy in our lives.
“There's a surprising lack of energy literacy, so we are looking to create a program to get the right information out to folks,” Deora said.
One example, he noted, is that it costs far less to install wind turbines than conventional coal-fired electric power plants. A new wind farm is being installed near Limon at half the cost of Xcel Energy's new third unit at the Comanche coal-fired plant near Pueblo, he said.
“We need to sit down and figure out a schedule to time our investment decisions, so investments in fueling infrastructure and fleets happen at the same time,” said T.J. Deora, director of the Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation.
Building compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations and buying or converting vehicles to run on CNG is costly, but the long-term benefits are substantial. Using CNG cuts down on polluting vehicle emissions, increases the market for a domestic fuel and supplants foreign oil imports.
In a special meeting meeting here Friday of the Garfield Clean Energy Advisory Board, Chairman Greg Russi told Deora about the organization's CNG working group, which includes local government leaders and Kirk Swallow, owner of the county's sole CNG fueling station in Rifle.
In turn, Deora introduced Alex Schroeder, the state agency's new transportation program manager charged with building the CNG market.
Deora also reported that his office is conferring with auto manufacturers, asking them to expedite production of cars, trucks and delivery vans ready to run on CNG. At present, only one vehicle, the Honda Civic, comes off the factory floor capable of burning CNG. Conversions for other vehicles can cost $10,000 to $12,000.
Earlier in the day, Deora and Schroeder met with Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) officials. Once Deora learned RFTA is poised to purchase 18 new buses, he made a case for buying buses that run on CNG and installing a fueling station in Aspen.
Deora noted that the Denver Metro Regional Transportation District (RTD) has used CNG-powered vehicles for the past 15 years to run the SkyRide service to Denver International Airport. He suggested bringing together RTD and RFTA officials to confer.
The CNG market could be further improved with the conversion of school buses, delivery vehicles, natural gas company fleets, and people-moving vans, such as the Colorado Mountain Express fleet, he said.
Development of CNG is one of three priorities for the Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation, Deora said.
The other two priorities are increasing energy efficiency by making it easier for property owners to finance efficiency upgrades, and increase overall “energy literacy,” the common understanding about the role of energy in our lives.
“There's a surprising lack of energy literacy, so we are looking to create a program to get the right information out to folks,” Deora said.
One example, he noted, is that it costs far less to install wind turbines than conventional coal-fired electric power plants. A new wind farm is being installed near Limon at half the cost of Xcel Energy's new third unit at the Comanche coal-fired plant near Pueblo, he said.
