HART Awarded $2.3 Million Federal Grant for CNG Fueling Station

Nov. 18, 2011
This is the first step for HART toward transitioning vans and buses from using diesel to CNG, which is cleaner and more efficient to use in public transit.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday that HART is the recipient of a $2.3 million grant to fund a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station and associated modifications to an existing HART maintenance facility. This is the first step for HART toward transitioning vans and buses from using diesel to CNG, which is cleaner and more efficient to use in public transit.

"Natural gas offers a cost-effective alternative to diesel fuel," said Philip Hale, HART chief executive officer. "Natural gas is available domestically and at this time, costs approximately 20-25 percent less than diesel."

The preliminary project timeline includes design and construction through 2012, and an operational CNG fueling station in 2013.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation - Federal Transit Administration (FTA), HART is one of 46 innovative clean-fuel transit projects nationwide that will share $112 million in funding from two FTA programs: the Clean Fuels Grant Program and the TIGGER III (Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction) Grant Program.