Officials from the City of Tulsa, the Oklahoma Department of Energy and Environment, and the Oklahoma Department of Labor held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to officially open the City’s second public-access Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station at 7932 E. 33rd Street. The NGV Road Rally Across America, a coast-to-coast road trip in natural gas vehicles, also participated in the opening of the station.
The event included remarks from City of Tulsa Chief of Economic Development Kathy Taylor; District 5 City Councilor Karen Gilbert; Michael Teague, Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment; and Melissa McLawhorn Houston, Oklahoma Commissioner of Labor.
Secretary Teague presented an award to Kathy Taylor on behalf of the City of Tulsa, recognizing our city as a leader in the CNG industry. Tulsa is one of a handful of cities that own and operate multiple CNG stations and have converted significant portions of their fleet to CNG. Tulsa’s trash hauler, New Solutions, serves customers with a CNG fleet.
“It’s great that the NGV Road Rally Across America drivers stopped in Tulsa on their way across the country and helped us celebrate the opening of our second CNG fueling station,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “I am proud of the City of Tulsa’s progress in converting many of our fleet vehicles to CNG. CNG is an alternative fuel that is produced locally, allows our fleet to operate more efficiently, saves the taxpayers in our city money, and gives the City a bit more certainty when budgeting for fuel.”
Tulsa-based ONE Gas (formerly ONG) provided grilled food after the media event, where multiple CNG vehicles were on display. In addition to the City of Tulsa, local event organizers and sponsors included Tulsa Gas Technologies, Tulsa Area Clean Cities, ONE Gas, Arkansas Oklahoma Gas, Centerpoint Energy, and OKIE811.
Located next to Tulsa Transit’s Memorial Midtown Station, the new unmanned CNG station will be open to the public seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The station will be utilized to fuel the City’s growing CNG fleet, as well as Tulsa Transit buses and public vehicles. The City currently operates 58 CNG vehicles (19 sedans, 30 light-duty trucks and nine heavy-duty trucks). The station accommodates small vehicles, large buses and Class 8 heavy-duty trucks.
The new City of Tulsa CNG station was approved by voters through the 2014 Improve Our Tulsa Sales Tax package and cost approximately $1.8 million. The City’s first CNG station opened in west Tulsa at 428 W. 23rd St. in September 2012.
The City of Tulsa saves close to $20,000 annually in fuel savings from CNG fleet vehicles. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), using CNG as a motor fuel in light vehicles instead of gasoline also reduces carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions.
The NGV Road Rally began its 4,825 mile tour in Long Beach, CA on Monday, June 5, and will conclude in Washington, DC on June 16.
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