Dive Brief:
- New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) announced the opening of a public-access compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station at the Waste Management Inc. facility in Toms River. It's the first such station in Ocean County, with eight public-access CNG stations previously opened in the state.
- The station is part of NJNG’s NGV Advantage pilot program. With approval from the state's Board of Public Utilities, NJNG invested $10 million to build, own and maintain the infrastructure for three public CNG fueling stations in its service territory.
- Waste Management Senior District Manager Carmen Perez said, "New Jersey Natural Gas has enabled us to operate and service our customers more cleanly and quietly, and will enable those who live in and enjoy Ocean County the opportunity to consider this affordable and environmentally friendly transportation fuel."
Dive Insight:
Waste Management has been a leader on natural gas vehicles and infrastructure. President and CEO David Steiner told Bloomberg Television last month that the company is committed to using natural gas; currently 4,200 trucks in its fleet run on CNG.
Perez announced in the press release that Waste Management's CNG conversion across the nation has so far allowed the company to reduce fleet emissions by 15%, while improving efficiency by 15%. "These ambitious goals were announced in 2007 and the natural gas conversion allowed us to reach these milestones well before our 2020 deadline," he said.
The waste industry as a whole is a leader in the switch to CNG vehicles. While workers enjoy the trucks because they are quieter and provide a smoother ride, fuel costs are the main factor driving purchases.
