The first scope 1 and 2 carbon neutral, certified Responsibly Sourced Gas (RSG) in the United States will be provided through an agreement with PureWest Energy, LLC, United Energy Trading, LLC, and Pierce Transit.
Pierce Transit’s bus fleet is 80 percent compressed natural gas (CNG), 13 percent hybrid-electric, five percent battery electric and two diesel buses.
Pierce Transit notes that while operating most of its buses on CNG offers environmental benefits over traditional fuels, there is still an environmental impact. Transitioning its CNG fleet to this new fuel source means 80 percent of Pierce Transit’s buses will be running on certifiably carbon neutral RSG. By using carbon neutral RSG, Pierce Transit’s carbon reduction will equal a reduction of 101,370 pounds of coal burned or 230,496 miles driven by an average car each year.
“Pierce Transit is thrilled to be a national leader in the transit industry by transporting our customers using carbon neutral, responsibly sourced, natural gas fuel,” said Pierce Transit CEO Mike Griffus. “Our agreement with United Energy Trading and PureWest enables Pierce Transit to balance the needs of our customers with a responsible, lower-carbon energy supply.”
Uplift Energy Strategy and United Energy Trading served as brokers to secure Pierce Transit’s purchase of PureWest’s RSG.
What is Responsibly Sourced Gas?
RSG is natural gas from sites that have undergone a third-party certification process to ensure it meets the highest standards and practices to minimize its environmental footprint. The RSG provided to Pierce Transit has been through the Project Canary TrustWell RSG certification.
PureWest’s Platinum Certified TrustWell-certified RSG involves a rigorous audit and field evaluation by Project Canary of PureWest’s stewardship with respect to air, land, water and the community, including safety practices and the continuous and independent monitoring of methane emissions at the well pads.
“This unique partnership further accelerates our commitment to being an industry leader in delivering lower-carbon energy solutions,” said PureWest CEO Chris Valdez. “We look forward to supporting Pierce Transit’s sustainability goals and ensuring the cleanest and most reliable natural gas is available to drive progress.”
United Energy Trading (UET) will physically deliver PureWest’s clean natural gas to Pierce Transit to help meet the transportation and sustainability goals of Washington State’s second largest county. Purchase of the RSG has been bundled with high-quality, certified and registered offset credits for the remainder of the carbon emissions.
“UET is committed to providing Pierce Transit with renewable energy options. Doing things sustainably is not new to us. Our years of experience across the energy spectrum has guided our success in the clean energy space. Today, UET is proud to be a disruptive leader in the new energy frontier. Since 2021, UET has been a carbon footprint offset company, running 100 percent of our business on renewable energy, and we want to help our customers manage their emissions as well. Through diligent logistics and ecological carbon management programs, we are committed to making the world a better place.” said Thomas Smith, president of UET.
