Currently, the two utilities operate 450 passenger vehicles. As these vehicles reach the end of their useful lives, they will be replaced with CNG and hybrid-electric vehicles. The alternative-fueled vehicles should reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from 20% to 50% compared with conventional gasoline-fueled vehicles.   

In 2008, The Gas Company and SDG&E will put into service 40 new Honda CNG Civics and 60 new Toyota Priuses. These will be added to a fleet that already includes nearly 1,150 alternative-fueled vehicles, mostly light-duty customer-service trucks. The utilities also are considering the use of other clean-fuel alternatives, such as bio-gas. 

Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition Elections

On March 25 at the regular stake holders meeting, Marc Lappit of Amphitheater Schools was ratified as the new Chairman of the Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition  and Dave Clement as Vice Chair. 
The Next Meeting will be May 21st at 2:00 PM 
http://www.pagnet.org/Programs/EnvironmentalPlanning/CleanFuels/tabid/180/Default.aspx                                  177 N Church Ave, Tucson, PAG 5th Floor Conference Room

Gas Hole the Movie, Documentary Playing in Tucson at the Historic Fox Theater May 2nd

    http://foxtucsontheatreticketforce.com/

Gas Hole the Movie will be playing at the historic Fox Theater on Friday May 2nd at 7:00 PM, a portion of the ticket sales will be donated to the Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition.  The movie documents our love and history with petroleum and the advances we have made with alternatives for the future.  It is a non-biased/non political party look at where we've been and where we are going and does feature interviews with congressional delegates from both parties. Actor Peter Gallagher narrates.  $10.00 Ticket for students and military, 15.00 for regular tickets and $25.00 if you would like to attend the reception afterwards with the producers and some of the actors. http://www.gasholemovie.com/    Joshua Jackson from Dawson's Creek is in the movie, it covers all the alternative fuels, but spends the most time on Bio-diesel.

Keeping Those Compressors Going!

Dave Clement works on a FuelMaker Model FMQ8-36 at Whitton Plumbing in Mesa, CNG Services of Arizona covers the whole state for FuelMaker!

Tucson Clean Air Days/ Earth Day/ Clean Air Fair April 19th
    

The annual Clean Air Fair will be Saturday April 19th, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Reid Park, NW Side. A lot bigger celebration this year, more activities   www.TucsonEarthDay.org   Lots of activities for the kids, Fair, Solar Car Races and our alternative fuel vehicle displays! www.cleanair.pima.gov   There is an article on the event in the April issue of Tucson Green Magazine along with a photo of the Honda GX displayed last year.  Combined with the Earth Day Celebration this year!

National Alternative Fuels & Vehicles Conference & Expo 2008

Don't miss your chance to attend one of the most comprehensive alternative fuel vehicle conferences of the year.  The AFVi National Conference & Expo will be held May 11-14, 2008 Rio All-Suite Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Whether you you own a fleet, work for a public or private fleet or just want to be educated on what is happening in the alternative fuel arena, this is the conference for you!
This is your chance - DON'T MISS IT!!!!!  For more information click on the link-  http://wwwafvi.org/NationalConference2008/index.html

 Alternative Fuels in Drivers Educations - Let's Train Them Young!

Contact Colleen Crowninshield if you would like a copy of the curriculum you can present to your school district to add alternative fuels to the Drivers Education course work.  Amphitheater Schools has had great success with their CNG Honda's and adding a segment on Alt Fuels to their class work.  Show them the possibilities and they will make better choices when its their turn to drive!  (520)792-1093 ext. 426  http://www.cngazcom/forms/DriversEdAltFuel.pdf

Illinois Alternative Fuel  & Alternative Fueled Vehicle Tax Credits
 
The Illinois Alternate Fuels Rebate Program (Rebate Program) provides a rebate for 80% of the incremental cost of purchasing an AFV (up to $4,000), 80% of the cost federally certified alternative fuel vehicle conversions (up to $4,000), and for the incremental cost of purchasing alternative fuels. Eligible fuels for the program include E85, biodiesel blends of at least 20%, natural gas, propane, electricity, and hydrogen. To be eligible, a vehicle must be an on-road vehicle, licensed, and legal to be driven on public roads. For all rebates, the AFV, conversion system, or alternate fuel must be purchased from an Illinois-based company or vendor. Hybrid electric vehicles are not eligible. The Rebate Program is open to all Illinois residents, businesses, government units (except federal government), and organizations located in Illinois.  http://www.illinoisgreenfleets.org/fuels/                                                                               
Darwin Burkhart
Manager, Mobile Source Programs
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Phone (217) 557-1441
darwin.burkhart@epa.state.il.us

Pickens Tells CNBC That U.S. Needs to Move to Alternative Fuels

By Nancy Moran

March 25 (Bloomberg) -- Boone Pickens told CNBC the U.S. has ``got to get on alternative fuels'' and cut its dependence on foreign oil.

``In 10 years, you will have transferred wealth from the United States to the producing countries of about $5 (trillion) or $6 trillion,'' Pickens, chairman of Dallas-based BP Capital LLC, told the financial news network in an interview.  The U.S. will need to add 150,000 megawatts of energy to its power grid in the next 10 years. ``That should all come from renewables'' such as wind energy, he said.  ``You've got an unbelievable wind corridor from Sweetwater, Texas, to the Canadian border, and you could do a lot of that 150,000 megawatts in that corridor,'' Pickens told CNBC.  Natural gas could then be ``moved off'' to a transportation fuel. ``It's domestic, it's clean and it's cheap. And it should replace foreign oil for transportation'' in the U.S., Pickens told CNBC.

UPS Deploys 167 Additional Factory Freightliner CNG Vans

UPS has deployed 167 additional Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) delivery vehicles in Texas, Georgia and California, joining more than 800 CNG vehicles already in use by UPS in the United States.  While previous CNG vehicles in UPS' fleet were converted from gasoline and diesel vehicles in the 1980s to run on alternative fuels, the new vehicles are originally manufactured for alternative fuel use. The CNG truck bodies are identical externally to the signature-brown trucks that now constitute the UPS fleet although they will be marked as CNG vehicles. The vehicles from Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) use a 5.9-liter, six-cylinder Cummins B Gas Plus that produces 195 to 230 hp (145 to 172 kW) with a torque range of 420 to 500 lb-ft (569 to 678 Nm).  Range is an estimated 250 miles. The trucks are expected to reduce emissions by 20% and improve fuel economy by 10% compared to the cleanest diesel engines available today. The Cummins B Gas Plus engines meet EPA emissions standards for 2010. Of the 167 new CNG trucks, 25 have been deployed in Dallas; 42 in Atlanta, and the remaining 100 in five California cities: 30 to Sacramento, 14 to Los Angeles, five to Ontario, 10 to San Ramon and 41 to Fresno. UPS operates the transportation industry's largest private fleet of alternative fuel vehicles.This latest deployment brings the UPS "green fleet" total to 1,629 trucks.

Anaheim Trillium CNG Station to Open on April 1st!

CNG Truck Engine and Parts For Sale
 A 5.9 L Cummins  natural gas engine is available with all the tanks, lines and hardware that came off a Freightliner Step Van, had 20,000 miles on the odometer when it was pulled out.  Contact: Alex at 480-515-1755

Turn out the lights this Saturday, March 29, from 8-9 pm and participate in a world-wide event!!

We thought this important, so we are sending out the CNG News on Friday, instead of Monday.

http://www.earthhour.org/

Drive Clean, Drive Natural Gas!

Save Money, Save Our Air, Save The Planet & Reduce Our Dependence On Imported Petroleum.

Dave Clement
President

Authorized FuelMaker Dealer for Arizona & Specialists in Compressing Natural Gas Into Clean Vehicle Fuel!
Phone 480-461-5166
Cel. 480-789-1498
Fax 480-615-4338
Web www.CNGaz.com
Blog  http://blog.cngaz.com

CNG Cylinder Inspections
439 North Clement St.
Mesa, Arizona 85201
Help Keep Arizona Skies Clean and Blue- Drive a Natural Gas Vehicle!
ROC231066  Arizona Licensed Natural Gas Fueling Equipment Contractor

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Arizona CNG Email Resources-

Dave Clement - Fueling Equipment in Arizona, Phill HRA/FuelMaker VRA  and Commercial Fueling Equipment dave@cngaz.com

Jerry Polick - San Tan Honda, New Natural Gas Honda GX's  jerry.polick@santanhonda.com

Murphy - CNG Motors, Used Natural Gas Vehicles   murphy@cngmotors.com

Colleen Crowninshield - Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition  ccrowninshield@pagnet.org

Cory Woods - Valley of the Sun Clean Cities Coalition  cory@cleanairaz.org

Kevin Fern - AFV Tech, Conversions  info@afvtech.com

Darrel Essary- ALT Fuel Systems, Conversions altfuelsystem@juno.com

Rhett Crowninshield - Clean Energy, Public CNG Stations  rcrowninshield@cleanenergyfuels.com

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NOTE- We talked in the last issue about the OMV CNG Rally Racing Team in Austria using Biogas as fuel- The season commences next week with the LICO Lavanttal Rally, April 4-5

Lastly- Remind your legislators that Arizona needs some help with smart and fair incentives for Clean Fuels and Natural Gas Vehicles!