New York joins the renewable natural gas revolution
Clean Energy Fuels Corp has opened a renewable natural gas refuelling station in New York – the first of its kind in the City.
The Hunts Point facility in the South Bronx will offer Redeem, the company’s trademarked fuel sourced from the anaerobic digestion of organic wastes from dairies and wastewater treatment facilities and capture of methane emissions from landfills.
Already the largest supplier of natural gas fuel for transportation in north America, Clean Energy hopes the new refueling station will green operations at the nearby Hunts Park Market, one of the world’s largest food distribution centres with around 15,000 truck movements a day.
Reducing carbon emissions and delivering clean air
Trucks fuelling with RNG deliver a significant reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The California Air Resources Board says Clean Energy’s Redeem enables at least a 70% reduction in carbon emissions when replacing diesel or gasoline.
At the opening of the refuelling station on July 10, NYC Department of Transport Bronx Borough Commissioner Nivardo Lopez said, “I applaud and congratulate Clean Energy today on making a renewable natural gas fuelling station a reality for Hunts Point trucking fleets in the South Bronx. Natural Gas trucks, particularly ones fuelled by renewable natural gas, have a tremendously low carbon footprint, which is important for communities disproportionately affected by diesel emissions. The addition of this station now makes possible and plausible the transition of large portions of Hunts Point fleet industries to this cleaner, domestically produced fuel.”
“This new Hunts Point station is no ordinary fuelling station. It is the first in the City to supply only the renewable form of natural gas made from waste,” said Joanna Underwood, founder, Energy Vision. “Private and public fleets that fill up here can provide their critical services with virtually no health-threatening air pollution or greenhouse gases. Bravo to Clean Energy for helping our City achieve its clean air and climate goals.”
Making the switch and cutting costs
Already preparing to fuel at the station are local fleets that operate natural gas-powered trucks, including Baldor Specialty Foods, Manhattan Beer Distributors, and U.S. Concrete, which attended the grand opening.
“The new natural gas fuelling station opening in Hunts Point is a great steppingstone to help move the trucking industry into the next generation of fuelling options for our fleets,” said Baldor Express Transportation Manager Thomas Galm. “The availability of CNG in our area opens the opportunity for more fleets to add CNG-powered vehicles to their fleets where these options previously did not exist. We expect increased savings to our fuel budget as well as a greatly diminished carbon footprint for the environment.”
“Now that the Clean Energy station is in service in Hunts Point, we can continue increasing our CNG fleet,” said Juan Corcino, director of fleet operations, Manhattan Beer Distributors. “The station provides the support we need to confidently upgrade our fleet to 100% CNG.”
“This station is important to New York City’s Hunts Point Clean Truck Program, which long has been seeking ways to lower transportation-related pollution that contributes to unhealthful air in The South Bronx,” said Chad Lindholm, vice president of sales for Clean Energy. “We’re pleased to fulfil the demand for clean, renewable natural gas within this major transportation hub in New York City.”
