New Link For AFV Refueling Site

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/locator/stations/places/new

AWWA Paper On Fracking

A white paper from the American Water Works Association entitled Water and Hydraulic Fracturing.

AWWA has produced this white paper in response to growing public awareness and concern about hydraulic fracturing and related activities. The paper provides water utilities with background, facts, and resources to help them understand and communicate fracking processes, risks, and regulations. Additionally, the paper considers both hydraulic fracturing itself and other components in the life cycle of oil and natural gas development that may present concerns to drinking water utilities. Although this document primarily discusses drinking water utility risks and concerns—and ways to mitigate them—it is important to remember that any policy decisions regarding energy development must take both risks and benefits into account. Although summarized briefly, the benefits of energy development—which can be substantial—are not discussed in detail in this paper

AWWA position on oil and natural gas development, including hydraulic fracturing

• The protection of drinking water sources, supplies, and infrastructure must be a paramount consideration for all industrial activities, including oil and gas development using hydraulic fracturing.
• Regulation at the federal, state, and local levels should be designed and enforced to minimize all risks of oil and gas development to drinking water sources, supplies, and infrastructure. Regulators should use their authorities under federal and state law to reduce these risks to the greatest extent possible.
• Appropriate government agencies must be provided with sufficient resources to adequately implement permitting, regulatory, enforcement, and outreach programs. To the extent that these programs are funded by industry, they should be managed to ensure they are sustainable programs without conflicts of interest.
• Oil and gas wells must be appropriately designed, sited, constructed, operated, and closed using sound engineering techniques, following all applicable regulations and industry best practices.
• Oil and gas developers must have financially sound strategies in place to manage hazards, including the means to assume financial responsibility for cleaning up water supplies should contamination occur, even if such contamination occurs after the facility has been closed.
• Monitoring of pre-drilling water quality should establish baseline conditions, and periodic monitoring should assess any changes in water quality that might occur during oil or gas development, so as to detect problems and allow for corrective action as soon as possible.
• For the protection of public health, drinking water utilities must be informed immediately when spills, accidents, or any other issue has the potential to impact the quality or availability of source waters. Water utilities should be provided with complete information on chemicals accidentally released, regardless of trade secret status. Such information is necessary to determine treatment options and inform the public should drinking water ever be placed at risk.
• Having a secure energy future does not mean choosing between development and clean water. America can and should have both, provided that energy development is undertaken consistent with these policy principles.

Fracking holds the promise of cheaper, cleaner fuel

An op-ed in The Buffalo News by Craig Jackson, business development manager at Cobey Inc. in Buffalo, New York. He says "There are many reasons why embracing this new technology is good for our natural environment and our economy." He explains that CNG is cleaner than gasoline. It's less expensive and abundant.

Technology has made extracting natural gas from previously inaccessible shale possible. In 2000, only 2 percent of our natural gas came from shale. By 2012, that amount grew to 37 percent. Abundance leads to innovation, too. The U.S. Department of Energy announced in July that it will award $30 million to 13 cutting-edge research projects through its Advanced Research Projects Agency. This initiative will encourage development of natural gas tanks and compressors for readier use.

In the same issue of the newspaper Joel Huberman says that electric vehicles powered by wind, sun, and water are even cleaner and will be available for millions of years. Joel Huberman is a retired scientist and a member of the Energy Committee of the Niagara Group of the Sierra Club.

A Pennsylvania Point Of View

Jim Runk, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, expresses his point of view in the Cameron County Endeavor:

NATURAL GAS CAN POWER TRUCKS

New technologies enabling natural gas to be extracted from a number of shale layers under Pennsylvania have the potential to be a game changer for our industry.

The price of gasoline affects all Americans. It especially (and disproportionately) impacts the trucking industry. As our fuel costs rise, the cost of transporting goods to market gets more expensive. Those costs are then passed on directly to consumers. Higher prices at the pump for us translates into higher prices on store shelves for you and your family.

Natural gas often costs 30 to 50 percent less than diesel fuel. Over the lifetime of one of our rigs, our member companies can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel costs alone. That's more money to buy new trucks, hire new workers and grow their business.

Natural gas, when used as a transportation fuel alternative to gasoline and diesel, provides better fuel efficiency and significantly reduced emissions. Natural gas emits less carbon dioxide and reduces smog-producing nitrogen oxide pollutants.

Natural gas is the only fuel alternative that can power heavy duty vehicles like 18-wheelers. While many companies have already begun switching their fleets to natural gas, rising gas prices make the case for switching even stronger.

One critical problem that exists, however, is the lack of essential infrastructure. Pennsylvania has a strong start, with 39 CNG refueling stations across the state and several more in the planning or construction phase. However, more must be done. If we work together, we can ensure enough refueling infrastructure to revolutionize transportation across the Keystone State.

With the passage of Act 13, the state has set aside $20 million to help Pennsylvania companies and organizations convert their vehicle fleets to compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, or bi-fuel vehicles.

It's imperative we continue to drive awareness and education for the benefits of natural gas when used as a fuel source. To that end, our state government and the natural gas industry (producers, distributors, station owners, vehicle and engine manufactures) are holding natural gas vehicle education events all over the state.

The trucking industry literally moves our economy, and I want to see a vibrant and prosperous industry drive change across Pennsylvania. Cleaner, cheaper natural gas can revitalize and transform the transportation industry.

We're truckers, so you know we are in it for the long haul, but the sooner we get started on transforming our energy future, the better off we'll be.

EPA's Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel

EPA's Science Advisory Board Announces Independent Panel to Peer Review Agency's Hydraulic Fracturing Research

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) independent Science Advisory Board (SAB) today announced the formation of its Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory panel. This panel of independent experts will peer review EPA's 2014 draft report of results for its national study on any potential health and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Leading up to the peer review, the SAB panel will provide scientific feedback on EPA's research in an open and transparent manner.

The development of the draft report, which is directed by Congress, is in line with the Administration's focus on continuing to expand safe and responsible domestic oil and gas production.

The SAB has identified an independent panel of 31 experts that meet the SAB's criteria of having the necessary expertise and breadth of experience to adequately review the EPA hydraulic fracturing study on the potential impacts on drinking water resources, and meet long-standing rules regarding financial conflicts of interest.

EPA will ask the SAB panel, as a part of its public process, to specifically seek input from applied science practitioners in the field. Assuring the most up-to-date information on emerging science and technology of this rapidly changing industry is a critical component of the entire process.

In March 2010, EPA announced its intention to conduct the study in response to a request from Congress. To ensure an approach of openness and scientific rigor, the agency has engaged in a wide variety of activities, including public meetings with stakeholders and public webinars, technical roundtables and technical workshops. In addition, the agency's Science Advisory Board reviewed the draft study plan and now has established a panel that will peer review the 2014 draft report of results, as well as provide scientific feedback as requested.

"Our final report on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources must be based on sound science and take into account the latest practices being used by the industry," said Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "We have worked to ensure that the study process be open and transparent throughout, and the SAB panel is another example of our approach of openness and scientific rigor."

The SAB sought public nominations of nationally and internationally recognized scientists and engineers having experience and expertise related to hydraulic fracturing in an August 2012 Federal Register notice.

The SAB initially identified and sought public comment on 144 potential candidates. As required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, SAB staff worked to screen candidates for conflicts of interest and appearance of lack of impartiality. After reviewing public comments, confidential financial disclosure forms and additional information submitted by prospective candidates, the SAB identified the panel of 31 experts.

The SAB panel is comprised of five current employees of companies and consulting firms; two government employees; and 21 academics/university professors (including some previously employed in industry). It has at least three experts in each of the following nine areas of expertise that were sought for the panel: Petroleum/Natural Gas Engineering; Petroleum/Natural Gas Well Drilling; Hydrology/Hydrogeology; Geology /Geophysics; Groundwater Chemistry/Geochemistry; Toxicology/Biology; Statistics; Civil Engineering; and Waste Water and Drinking Water Treatment.

On May 7 and 8, 2013, the SAB panel will convene a meeting to provide individual feedback from panel members regarding EPA's 2012 progress report on the study. The public will also have the opportunity to provide comments for the panel's consideration. Comments from individual panel members will be considered as EPA develops its draft results in late 2014 for peer review by the SAB. The draft report of results will synthesize the findings from the study's ongoing projects together with scientific literature to answer the study's main research questions regarding hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources.

Subsequent meetings will include an opportunity for presentations to the panel by experts in fracturing technologies.

More information on the SAB's Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory panel and its activities is available at this link.

Factsheet on SAB Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel.

Those on the SAB Panel:

• Mr. John V. Fontana, Vista GeoScience LLC
• Mr. Walter R. Hufford, Talisman Energy USA
• Dr. Stephen W. Almond, MeadWestvaco
• Dr. E. Scott Bair, Ohio State University
• Dr. Elizabeth Boyer, Pennsylvania State University
• Dr. Susan L. Brantley, Penn State University
• Dr. Peter Bloomfield, North Carolina State University
• Dr. Steven Bohlen, U.S. Department of Energy
• Dr. James V. Bruckner, University of Georgia
• Dr. Thomas L. Davis, Colorado School of Mines
• Dr. Joseph J. DeGeorge, Merck Research Laboratories
• Dr. Joel Ducoste, North Carolina State University
• Dr. Shari Dunn-Norman, Missouri University of Science and Technology
• Dr. David Dzombak, Carnegie Mellon University
• Dr. Katherine Bennett Ensor, Rice University
• Dr. Elaine M. Faustman, University of Washington
• Dr. Daniel J. Goode, U.S. Geological Survey
• Dr. Abby A. Li, Exponent Inc
• Mr. Dean Malouta, Independent Consultant in Oil and Gas Exploration and Development
• Dr. Cass T. Miller, University of North Carolina
• Dr. Laura J. Pyrak-Nolte, Purdue University
• Dr. Steve Randtke, University of Kansas
• Dr. Joseph Ryan, University of Colorado
• Dr. James Saiers, Yale University
• Dr. Eric P. Smith, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Dr. Azra N. Tutuncu, Colorado School of Mines
• Dr. Paul Westerhoff, Arizona State University
• Dr. Thomas M. Young, University of California, Davis
• Dr. Bruce D. Honeyman, Colorado School of Mines
• Dr. Richard Jack, Thermo Fisher Scientific Corporation
• Dr. Dawn Kaback, AMEC E&I, Inc.

Clean Cities TV

Today we'd like to introduce you the Clean Cities TV YouTube Channel - learn what Clean Cities Coalitions are doing around the National to help us move to Alternative Fuels in transportation in our Regions....see the First Responder Training video the Clean Cities Coachella Valley Region put on at C.O.D. in June, 2011.

Sequestration

From the March 2013 EcoNet News:

Sequestration is the capture and long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide, CO2 removal, an important form of geo-engineering. There are several forms of sequestration: oceanic, geologic, and terrestrial. Sequestration occurs above ground in leaves, stems and trunks of trees; in long-lived products such as wood to make houses; and in soil - northern forests store twice the carbon in the soil as they do above ground; and in rocks that tie up carbon for years.

Bio-sequestration is about natural processes. Then there's "carbon capture and storage," stripping CO2 from flues of power plants and industries and then injecting it into salt caverns and other underground repositories. A coal plant in North Dakota became the nation's first to capture carbon emissions from flue gases in 2000. The oil industry has been injecting CO2 in wells for enhanced oil recovery for years.

Let's get back to basics. There's a lot of sequestration taking place without fanfare every day. Geologic sequestration is the least obvious, where CO2 is stored in the pores of geologic formations. Even it can be manipulated through hydrodynamic, solubility, and mineral carbonation "trapping." Oceans are the biggest CO2 sinks. Then there's terrestrial sequestration, when carbon is stored in plants, animals, and soils. Imagine peat bogs. To be effective biomass sinks, trees and forests must grow in perpetuity.

Every year, American trees capture an enormous amount of CO2, one estimate is 310 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. Others say 200 - 300 million tonnes annually. That's about 5% of the national footprint. While the value is imprecise, forests certainly provide an "enormous ecosystem service."

Note that a small percentage of this "sink" is lost annually. Every year, about 0.9% of American forests burn in forest fires. The year 2006 was unusually bad, 1.3% of the forest cover burned.

Mining Methane Hydrates

From the March 2013 EcoNet News:

Big news. The Japanese have reportedly successfully mined methane hydrates 50 miles offshore in the Sea of Japan in the Nankai Trough. This is potentially really good news for Japan: It's been two years since the earthquake that crippled its Fukushima nuclear power plant. The country has no traditional fossil fuels and is looking at importing more oil and gas to balance its reduction in nuclear power.

Methane hydrates may represent a new and exciting source of energy. A form of "clathrates," they are a "frozen cage of molecules" of methane and water sometimes known as "burnable ice" or "solid natural gas."

Clathrates are at the nexus of chemistry and geology. Methane hydrates are found in both terrestrial and marine applications. They are hosted in sediments, within and beneath permafrost. Marine hydrates are potentially very important, but costly to recover. Canada had research successes in 2007 and 2008 but abandoned efforts due to cost.

A chemist first experimented with this class of compounds in Cornwall, England in the 1820s. Each clathrate is a guest compound locked inside the lattice structure of a host. They were a laboratory curiosity. Later they were a nuisance, clogging natural gas pipelines.

In the 1960s, "solid natural gas" was found in the Messoyakuka gas field in western Siberia, the first time it was found in a naturally occurring state. In 2003, researchers found methane hydrates 15 miles off the California coast, in the Santa Monica basin. They were found near the summit of an 800 meter undersea volcano.

Japanese proponents now hope to commercialize the technology by 2018. And the promise of large quantities is alluring. Scientists are using a depressurization method to transform the hydrates into methane gas. Japanese researchers believe there is at least a decade's worth of natural gas for Japan in the deposit.

But there are concerns about these laboratory phenomena: No one knows how much of it there is. What if there are large releases and the "disassociation" of the methane from its crystalline form? This could trigger undersea landslides. Given methane's high global warming potential (21 times that of carbon dioxide), a release triggered by change of temperatures or a change of pressure could cause abrupt climate change events. Methane hydrates are an unknown variable in the carbon equation.

A Pennsylvania Trucking Point Of View

Jim Runk, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, expresses his point of view in the Cameron County Endeavor :

NATURAL GAS CAN POWER TRUCKS

New technologies enabling natural gas to be extracted from a number of shale layers under Pennsylvania have the potential to be a game changer for our industry.

The price of gasoline affects all Americans. It especially (and disproportionately) impacts the trucking industry. As our fuel costs rise, the cost of transporting goods to market gets more expensive. Those costs are then passed on directly to consumers. Higher prices at the pump for us translates into higher prices on store shelves for you and your family.

Natural gas often costs 30 to 50 percent less than diesel fuel. Over the lifetime of one of our rigs, our member companies can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel costs alone. That's more money to buy new trucks, hire new workers and grow their business.

Natural gas, when used as a transportation fuel alternative to gasoline and diesel, provides better fuel efficiency and significantly reduced emissions. Natural gas emits less carbon dioxide and reduces smog-producing nitrogen oxide pollutants.

Natural gas is the only fuel alternative that can power heavy duty vehicles like 18-wheelers. While many companies have already begun switching their fleets to natural gas, rising gas prices make the case for switching even stronger.

One critical problem that exists, however, is the lack of essential infrastructure. Pennsylvania has a strong start, with 39 CNG refueling stations across the state and several more in the planning or construction phase. However, more must be done. If we work together, we can ensure enough refueling infrastructure to revolutionize transportation across the Keystone State.

With the passage of Act 13, the state has set aside $20 million to help Pennsylvania companies and organizations convert their vehicle fleets to compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, or bi-fuel vehicles.

It's imperative we continue to drive awareness and education for the benefits of natural gas when used as a fuel source. To that end, our state government and the natural gas industry (producers, distributors, station owners, vehicle and engine manufactures) are holding natural gas vehicle education events all over the state.

The trucking industry literally moves our economy, and I want to see a vibrant and prosperous industry drive change across Pennsylvania. Cleaner, cheaper natural gas can revitalize and transform the transportation industry.

We're truckers, so you know we are in it for the long haul, but the sooner we get started on transforming our energy future, the better off we'll be.

Let's Rethink the Strategic Petroleum Preserve

A conversation with T. Boone Pickens:

It’s been almost five years since you and I set out together to get America the energy plan it deserves. One thing hasn’t changed: the need for aggressive and effective energy leadership in Washington. For the last four decades, Republicans and Democrats alike have fallen short in this regard. Long story short - we have no national energy plan.

Instead, there has been a proliferation of stop-gap measures that are nothing more than a band-aid approach. One of the best examples is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, some 727 million barrels of crude oil that we have squirreled away in salt caverns beneath several states.

Does this make any sense? I sure don’t think so. Watch this video for more of my thoughts on this issue.

T. Boone Pickens TED Talk

Let's transform energy -- with natural gas.

CNG Vehicles for Hurricane Recovery

Upcoming MotorWeek Segment
Episode #3229
Airing March 23, 2013
On PBS and Discovery

This weekend's MotorWeek segment takes viewers to the New York and New Jersey coastlines where Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc. Fleets with vehicles running on compressed natural gas (CNG) were essential to both evacuation and recovery efforts when gasoline and diesel shortages hampered conventional vehicle operations. Community planners and emergency management agencies in the region are now taking a closer look at alternative fuels as a key part of their disaster preparedness strategies.

Produced by Maryland Public Television's MotorWeek program, this segment will air on PBS stations nationwide starting March 23, 2013 (in the regular weekly MotorWeek timeslot on your local PBS station). MotorWeek is also available on Velocity by Discovery.

For show times in your area, check the MotorWeek and Discovery Channel websites. While many local PBS affiliates are still broadcasting in standard definition, viewers with newer widescreen televisions can watch the episode in high definition on Velocity by Discovery.

Previous video segments are available on the Alternative Fuels Data Center.

Question of the Month for March 2013

Where can I find statistics, maps, and projections related to alternative fuels, advanced vehicles, and infrastructure?

Answer: The Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) Maps and Data website is a comprehensive resource for current and historical statistics related to alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. The site categorizes information into the following tabs: Vehicles, Fuels & Infrastructure, Laws & Incentives, Regulated Fleets, and Clean Cities.

The Clean Cities tab was recently updated based on the results of the 2011 annual report. By scrolling down or filtering the list on the right panel for each tab, you can select relevant maps and charts. The gray download button in the upper right corner of the figure viewing pane allows users to view the data in Excel spreadsheet format or copy the chart into a presentation or other document. Clicking on legend labels also adds or removes data from the chart for more specific comparisons. Lastly, the Maps and Data website includes links to relevant reports and data analyses from outside the AFDC.

In addition to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) statistics included on the AFDC Maps and Data website, EIA compiles information relating to alternative fuel and advanced vehicles on its Alternative Fuel Vehicle Data website. The site includes an overview of trends in the alternative transportation sector, which is updated on an annual basis, as well as interactive data tables with statistics about current and projected vehicles supplied, vehicles in use, and fuel consumption. Please note that the EIA data is published on a two year delay; 2011 information will be posted in April 2013.

------------------

Resources for Additional Transportation Statistics and Trend Data

Fuel Consumption and Production

• EIA: Annual Energy Outlook 2013 (Early Release)
  Includes projections about alternative fuel and other energy use through 2040.
• American Public Transportation Association: 2012 Public Transportation Fact Book
  Based on Federal Transit Administration data, this book features public transit vehicle fuel consumption data for alternative fuels in the Energy and Environment section.

Vehicles

• Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Transportation Energy Data Book
  Tracks light-duty (Chapter 4), heavy-duty (Chapter 5), and alternative fuel and advanced technology (Chapter 6) vehicle trends. Note that much of the alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicle data provided here is compiled from the EIA Alternative Fuel Vehicle Data cited above.
• U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration: Highway Statistics Series
  Includes motor vehicle registration statistics and fees by state.
• Hybridcars.com Dashboard
  Provides monthly hybrid electric and plug-in electric vehicle sales data by vehicle model. Note that this is not a government resource but is typically regarded as reputable data.

Fuel Prices

• AFDC: Alternative Fuel Price Report
  Compares the prices of alternative and conventional fuels.
• EIA: Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices
  Tracks retail prices for petroleum fuels on a weekly basis.

Fuel Economy

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends
  Reports average fuel economy of vehicles over time from 1975 through 2012.

National Geographic Article Natural Gas For Long Haul Trucking

Here's the article. Over the last year Clean Energy Fuels has built 70 fueling stations in 33 states.

Clean Energy Fuels is already the largest supplier of natural gas for transportation in the United States. But most natural gas vehicles on U.S. roads today are cars, buses, and small trucks burning a form of natural gas known as CNG-compressed natural gas. In the U.S., these vehicles typically run "point-to-point" or round-trip routes in city bus systems, municipal car fleets, and local delivery services.

But CNG tends to be unsuitable for long trips because it has a relatively low energy density, a measure of how much energy can be stored in a given tank size. In practice, this means impossibly large volumes of the stuff would be required to power a vehicle for more than 150-300 miles (240-480 kilometers) between fill-ups. By contrast, a diesel truck of average efficiency can cover 900 miles (1,450 kilometers) on the fuel held in a single 150-gallon (570-liter) tank.

Enter liquefied natural gas. Known as LNG, this super-chilled and compressed form of natural gas has about 60 percent of diesel's energy content by volume, and it is significantly more energy dense than CNG. As a result, heavy trucks equipped with thermos-like cryogenic tanks can haul freight long distances—often 400 miles or more—between LNG fill-ups.

LNG is currently selling for about $2.92 per diesel gallon equivalent. Diesel is about $4.16 per gallon. The price premium for LNG trucks is about $40,000 to $80,000, but that cost is recouped within three years without any government subsidies.

Although the burning of natural gas produces 30% less carbon dioxide than burning diesel, methane leakage during the production of natural gas reduces the advantage natural gas has to only about 6% to 11%.

Be sure to scroll to the end of the National Geographic article to read the comments from readers.

Reuters On The President's Energy Blueprint

The Reuters' article is published by the San Diego Union-Tribune. "The White House touted the idea as bipartisan, saying it came from retired military and business leaders, including some Republicans, who belong to a policy group called Securing America’s Future Energy." But not all Republicans may be on board: "'For this proposal to even be plausible, oil and gas leasing on federal land would need to increase dramatically,' said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Republican House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio."

President Obama’s Blueprint for a Clean and Secure Energy Future

Business Insider has published a full version of the President's energy blueprint that was released on March 15.

• One of the goals of the blueprint is to partner with the private sector to further adoption of alternative fuels (most notably natural gas) in the trucking sector.
• To accomplish this goal (in addition to research and development) the blueprint proposes providing a credit for 50% of the incremental cost of a dedicated alternative fuel truck for a five year period.
• Although the economics of CNG/LNG are driving adoption, it is believed that these incentives would accelerate natural gas penetration of the trucking industry due to faster payback periods.

The President’s proposal sets aside $2 billion over 10 years and will support research into a range of cost-effective technologies – like advanced vehicles that run on electricity, homegrown biofuels, fuel cells, and domestically produced natural gas. The mandatory funds would be set aside from royalty revenues generated by oil and gas development in Federal waters of the Outer Continental Shelf, already included in the administration’s five year plan.

The President's plan…

Commits to safer production and cleaner electricity from natural gas. Our domestic natural gas resources are reducing energy costs across the economy – for manufacturers investing in new facilities and families benefiting from lower heating costs. This abundant, nearly 100-year resource can support new jobs and growth, but there are steps we should take to make this growth safe and responsible. The President’s budget will invest more than $40 million in research to ensure safe and responsible natural gas production. And as part of a $375 million investment in cleaner energy from fossil fuels, the President’s budget includes significant funding for clean coal technology and a new $25 million prize for the first, natural gas combined cycle power plant to integrate carbon capture and storage.

Fracknation Announces Gasland Part 2

Fracknation sends this word:

Dear friends:
We just learned that Gasland Part 2, the sequel to Josh Fox's thoroughly debunked anti-fracking film, will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City in April. We wanted you to be the first to find out because we know you care about spreading the truth.

No doubt this sequel will fuel interest in the anti-fracking movement. We need your help to show the public and the media that there is an alternative to Fox's misinformation.

Please help us by spreading the word about FrackNation as far and wide as possible.

Share our Facebook page with your friends and family.
Tweet at journalists with our Twitter handle: @FrackNation.
Tell people they can purchase a DVD on our website.
The more people are involved with FrackNation, the louder we can speak the truth.

Thanks,

Phelim, Ann & Magdalena

Facebook page for Gasland Part 2.

Clean Cities Coachella Valley Region, in an attempt to keep our stakeholders up-to-date and in the know on subjects concerning the move to alternative fuels for transportation has been bringing you information and links to various subjects on fracking. This link is one of these informational focuses. There is a lot rhetoric on both sides of the issue and we felt the best way to deal with this is to bring all we can that helps you become better informed so you can make your own decision. Clean Cities Coachella Valley Region believes in natural gas and over the years with help of the Federal, State and Local governments have built the best public CNG fueling Infrastructure available to a Region of our size. There are public CNG Fueling station throughout the valley:

• Yucca Valley - 7401 Kickapoo Trail
• Desert Hot Springs off Park Lane at the Mission Springs Water District Corporate Yard.
• Palm Springs Airport - 3400 E. Tahquitz Canyon Drive
• Arco Station - 36001 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City
• 1000 Palms - SunLine Transit Agency off Harry Oliver Trail
• Palm Desert at the Burrtec Facility - 41801 Corporate Way
• Indio - SunLine Transit Agency - Highway 111

We're also working with the City of Palm Springs and CVAG on assisting in building a electric charging infrastructure.

President Obama's Fracking-Friendly Nominees

"Obama picked Ernest Moniz, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist, for U.S. Energy secretary and Gina McCarthy, a longtime environmental regulator, to head the Environmental Protection Agency."

Moniz directs MIT’s Energy Initiative, which is supported by energy companies such as BP Plc (BP/), Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Chevron Corp. (CVX) and works on research into technologies such as biofuels, nuclear fission and building design. He has promoted natural gas as a bridge fuel -- a way to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions until cleaner sources of energy are developed.

“In the very long run, very tight carbon constraints will likely phase out natural gas power generation in favor of zero- carbon or extremely low-carbon energy sources,” Moniz said while releasing an MIT report in 2010 about natural gas. “For the next several decades, however, natural gas will play a crucial role in enabling very substantial reductions in carbon emissions.”

McCarthy, 58, is a Boston native who worked for then- Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as an environmental adviser and later as head of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. She currently leads the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, which during Obama’s first term issued broad regulations to cut pollution from coal-fired power plants and automobiles.

She also issued the first-ever greenhouse-gas proposal for new electric power plants, rules that the agency is set to finalize this month. Under that rule, no new coal-fired power plants could be constructed without expensive carbon-capture technology, systems that companies say are not commercially available now. New natural gas plants would qualify under those rules, because gas emits about half the carbon dioxide as coal when burned for electricity.

"Natural Gas on Track to Become Next Energy Giant"

An opinion from Sarah Battaglia at The Energy Collective. "Natural gas may eventually become an energy giant, and our sole source of power."

The most recent industry to take part in the natural gas movement is the automotive industry. It has become a source of fuel for cars, buses, and trucks, with scientists continuing to develop the safest and most efficient way of using this resource for transportation. The U.S. has begun to see an increase in natural gas vehicles because they produce 30 to 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than regular gasoline or diesel fuel. Car manufacturers are also realizing the potential of natural gas powered vehicles because of its low cost of operation for consumers.

Clean Energy Releases Third Edition of "The Road to Natural Gas"

"The Road to Natural Gas" is an update of Clean Energy's growing portfolio of customers making the switch to natural gas as a transportation fuel or expansion of their current fleets. This third edition covers the period from November 2012 through February 2013. News includes…

• 455 new CNG refuse trucks were delivered to Clean Energy’s 101 refuse customers and another 567 additional CNG vehicles were ordered.
• Clean Energy signed a contract with Veolia Transportation and another with MV Transportation, to construct, own and operate private CNG stations expected to fuel 150 Los Angeles Department of Transportation buses.
• Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is now taking delivery of five new CNG transit buses every week until the agency reaches its 452-bus order. DART will fuel its total CNG fleet, which includes 200 para-transit vehicles, at four CNG stations built by Clean Energy.
• Super Shuttle, already one of the country’s leaders in the transition to CNG, is expanding its CNG fleet in California by over 100 new CNG vans.
• UPS has expanded their LNG fleet to 70 with 12 additional tractors that will fuel at Clean Energy’s Phoenix station.
• 22 new stations on Clean Energy's "America’s Natural Gas Highway" were completed November 2012 – January 2013.
• New fueling station agreements have been signed with Road Ranger, a leading truck stop, gas station and convenience store chain in the Midwest; Suhaan Group, a Houston-based regional operator of truck fueling stations; and Petroleum Wholesale, a Southwest operator of truck stations and gasoline stations.

Westport Launches Bi-Fuel Ford F-450 and F-550

The Westport WiNG Power System, a compressed natural gas (CNG) bi-fuel system, will be available for order on the Ford F-450 and F-550 Super Duty Chassis Cab trucks starting April 1, 2013. "The new Ford F-450 and F-550 Super Duty trucks with the Westport WiNG Power System are an ideal application for fleets in natural resource industries, construction, delivery, public utilities as well as government and transit operators. The trucks offer fleets the opportunity to use a cleaner, domestic fuel that offers savings between 30 to 60 percent with payback demonstrated in as little as two years.

Natural Gas Food Truck In NYC

Mayor Bloomberg and T. Boone Pickens introduce New York City's first CNG-powered food truck: Neapolitan Pizza.


The full press release is here.

“Clean Energy has been part of many ‘firsts’ in the natural gas transportation fuel business, but the partnership with Neapolitan Express may be the most unique and exciting,” said legendary energy executive T. Boone Pickens. “With its multiple uses of natural gas, its urban location and the desire to always look at improving margins, it makes total sense for the rapidly growing food truck segment to transition to use cleaner, cheaper fuel. We applaud Neapolitan Express for taking a leadership role in what will surely be the future of food trucks.”

“Neapolitan Express and Clean Energy Fuels are taking the art of pizza and food trucks to new heights, while also setting a new standard for sustainability,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “This first-of-its-kind truck is one of many alternative vehicle technologies that can help us reduce emissions and improve air quality – something City government has worked to do by using electric and hybrid vehicles and taxis. We’re lucky to have private sector partners like Clean Energy Fuels and Neapolitan Express, who are taking charge and helping New York City lead the way to a greener future.”

The truck was built by Clean Vehicle Solutions and uses 220 GGEs per week. You can see the full length [10m 30s] video of the press event here.

The Facebook page for Neapolitan Express. The menu is simple:

• Margherita: tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, extra virgin olive oil
• Bufala: tomatoes, mozzarella, bufala, basil, extra virgin olive oil
• Marinara: tomatoes, garlic, oregano, extra virgin olive oil
• Pizza Cioccolato: Nutella - Yes, Nutella!
• Also, assorted pastries from 6 to 11 AM.