Dive Brief:

• Officials in Sebastian, FL are unhappy with Waste Management after the company promised the town a compressed natural gas refueling station, then later moved the plans to nearby Vero Beach. Mayor Richard Gillmor said he saw the situation as a "breach of contract."
• Waste Management public affairs manager Dina Reider-Hicks agreed with claims that the company did not communicate properly with city officials. "We should have sat down with [the mayor] and discussed this. It did not happen and we apologize," she said, according to TCPalm.
• City Attorney Robert Ginsburg said he did not believe the waste management giant committed a breach of contract, but was at fault for miscommunication. Council member Bob McPartlan hopes the city and Waste Management can agree on an arrangement that amends the situation. 

Dive Insight:

While Waste Management's decision to move the CNG refueling station may have not been a technical "breach of contract," the Mayor's disappointment is understandable as the city has been trying to shift to a CNG fleet.

"Moving from gasoline-powered vehicles to (natural gas) is something that has been on our agenda for a while," Gillmor said to TCPalm. "That's why we requested the refueling station as part of the original (proposal) and it was also part of the contract Waste Management signed."

While Vero Beach, FL is not too far from Sebastian, the move of the refueling station will surely make it difficult for Sebastian to operate on a natural gas fleet. However, McPartlan has made it clear that Waste Management's service in the city is otherwise good.

"I don't have a problem with their service," he said. "I just have a problem with this contract."