Ogden Utah converting garbage trucks to natural gas

Ogden city officials want to convert 10 garbage trucks from diesel to compressed natural gas. The city council is expected to vote Nov. 25 on a $1.6 million lease-purchase agreement that would fund the engine conversions and install a compressed natural gas fueling station at the public works building. Ogden Management Services Director Mark Johnson says the city hopes the change will spur the public to support and seek out cleaner technology. The new trucks and fueling station should be in use in January. City officials say the trucks could save the city more than $137,000 a year. Information from: Standard-Examiner, http://www.standard.net

Air Quality Concerns

Over the last 7 days the valley has had 3 PM-10 Health Watch Days and 1 PM-2.5 Health Watch Days  (www.runningoutofair.com) You would think our State and County officials would be pushing alternative fuels and incentives even more with the chance they have of losing federal funds due to non compliance and the health effects and costs this has on our Valley citizens. Encouraging alternative fuels also puts money directly into the local economy and helps grow businesses & employment that are related.  Encouraging our vehicle manufacturers to build clean natural gas vehicles may be a means to help save our Big 3, once people realize the cost savings of using clean natural gas for vehicle use. Frequent High Pollution Advisories are not an encouraging sign of our future good health or making our neighborhoods attractive places to live.

 Thanksgiving Grease Recycling - Grease in the Sewer is a no no!

Grecycle, Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department (RWRD), Tucson Regional Clean Cities program team up for fourth annual Day After Thanksgiving Grease Recycling DayPima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department (RWRD), Grecycle and the Pima Association of Governments' Clean Cities program will host the 4th  Annual Day-after-Thanksgiving Grease Recycling event on Friday, Nov. 28th. The effort, which Pima County Wastewater participates in as part of the Save Our Sewers (SOS) Grease Campaign, is designed to educate the public on the hazards of pouring grease into our sewer systems and to bring education and awareness to biodiesel which can be made from recycled grease. Grecycle is a Tucson-based organization that provides a collection service for used cooking oil.  The oils and grease will be turned into biodiesel to be used in diesel engines as a clean burning fuel which helps to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The Clean Cities program at Pima Association of Governments is a voluntary public/private partnership tasked with reducing dependence on foreign oil through accelerating the use of clean alternative fuel vehicles and building local infrastructure to support fueling of these vehicles. "Last year's event was better than ever, collecting a total of 2,800 pounds of grease. The event has been so successful that we are receiving calls from all over the United States from municipalities wanting to duplicate the event in their area," said Mike Kazz, owner of Grecycle. According to Laura Fairbanks, Community Relations Manager for the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department, Pima County's Sanitary Sewer Overflows have significantly declined since 2003, from ten overflows in January of 2003 to one overflow in January of 2008.  "Although we can't directly link the reduction to the efforts of our grease recycling day, I believe there is a link, we are educating the public to other options for their grease than pouring down our drains," she said.  "This year we have five collection sites around Tucson and one in Sahuarita. The sites are strategically placed around Tucson to better serve the community.  This gives everyone an opportunity to participate" said Colleen Crowninshield, manager of the Clean Cities Program at Pima Association of Governments.  "We are proud to be a part of such a significant positive environmental impact on our community."  Media is requested to visit the O'Reilly Chevrolet site at 6160 E. Broadway Blvd.  Media outreach packets and information on all programs will be available at that site between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Details of the event and locations are as follows: What: 4th Annual Grease Recycling Event, When: Friday, Nov. 28, 2008,  9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Where:

In Tucson  .O'Rielly Chevrolet, 6160 E. Broadway

.Pima County RWRD Industrial Waste Control, 5025 W. Ina Road

.El Hogar de la Paz Alternative Learning Center, 450 E Wetmore Road

 .Pima County RWRD Conveyance Division, 3390 N. Richey Road

            .City of Tucson, Water Plant #2, 1102 W. Irvington Road

In Sahuarita

            .Shell Super Stop, 795 W. Via Rancho Sahuarita