8 Cities Embracing Natural Gas

Once known for its smog, Los Angeles has turned to natural gas to help Angelinos enjoy brighter, bluer skies. Los Angeles County is now home to the country’s largest natural-gas-powered public transportation fleet—2,200 L.A. busses run on the cleaner fuel. “Before you could see the smoke and the stuff coming out from the bus and they were louder,” says Lizette, a regular Los Angeles Metro bus rider of 20 years. “These are not as loud and you don't see the smoke which caused the smog in LA. It's cleaner now here in LA.” And the city doesn’t stop there. Baseball fans can ride easier to games thanks to express busses fueled by natural gas that run between Union Station and Dodger Stadium. Play ball!

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg sets the bar high when it comes to developing a “green and great” city. He created “PlanNYC” to strengthen the economy, combat climate change and improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers. Natural gas plays a vital role in this effort and, in order to promote clean, reliable, and affordable energy, Mayor Bloomberg wants to increase natural gas transmission and distribution capacity to encourage conversion from highly polluting fuels. Steps are being taken throughout the city to help implement Mayor Bloomberg’s plan. Just one Staten Island ferry running on natural gas effectively cuts approximately $3 million annually from its fuel costs while maintaining performance and service to passengers. Another example of innovation is Neapolitan Express, a popular pizza food truck that runs entirely on natural gas. The first of its kind, this food truck produces 75 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than those running on other fuels.

Los Angeles may be a natural gas powerhouse, but let’s not forget about San Francisco, another California city taking advantage of cleaner, affordable natural gas. Thanks to recent changes, San Fran is now the “Greenest Taxi City in America.” In 2008, then Mayor Gavin Newsom introduced the Green Taxi Law, requiring San Francisco cab companies to reduce greenhouse emissions by 20 percent. Since the start of the program, cabs fueled by natural gas have lowered greenhouse gas emissions by 35,000 tons annually. The total of the San Francisco taxi fleet running on alternative energy is 92 percent, with 67 percent running on natural gas.

Natural gas is fueling transportation beyond America’s roads. The City of New Orleans is taking it to the sea and adding jobs at the same time. In May, Governor Bobby Jindal announced that Lockheed Martin will make a $3 million capital investment at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility to manufacture cryogenic tanks for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fuel the propulsion systems for oceangoing vessels. The project will create 400 new direct and indirect jobs. In 2011, Harvey Gulf International Marine of New Orleans partnered with Trinity Offshore of Gulfport, Mississippi. to build two LNG Duel Fuel Offshore Supply Vessels, which service oil and gas rigs throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Since the announcement, Harvey has ordered its sixth LNG vessel. When deployed, it will make Harvey the largest owner and operator of clean burning LNG Offshore Support Vessels in the world.

Pittsburgh may be America’s Steel City, but right now, you can simply call it “Boomtown.” Natural gas has unleashed an abundance of jobs helping to rebuild Pittsburgh’s economy, and Pennsylvania is competing with Alaska and Louisiana to be the country’s second largest natural gas producer in 2013. Employment in Pittsburgh’s energy sector rose to 46,644 employees in 2012, up more than a third since 2005. The U.S. Department of Labor showed that jobs in the metro area went beyond the June 2001 peak of 1.172 million in July 2012, reaching 1.176 million. Thanks to an abundance of affordable natural gas, Shell Oil Co. recently chose a site near Pittsburgh for a major, multi-billion-dollar petrochemical refinery that will create thousands of additional construction jobs. “Many areas of Pennsylvania, including the Pittsburgh metro area, are benefitting from the Marcellus Shale drilling activity. That certainly is giving Pennsylvania a boost relative to the rest of the country in terms of employment and gross economic output,” said Tom Jackson, senior economist at IHS Global Insight, following a report the firm released apart of the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in 2011.

Chicago residents can breathe a little easier due to the city’s commitment to natural gas. The Green Taxi Program began in 2011 as a way to help Chicago taxi companies purchase alternative fuel vehicles. Companies that convert to CNG can be reimbursed up to 100 percent of the cost through the $1 million Clean Cities Grant. Since CNG taxies have been in service, they have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than 400 tons. It is not just taxis keeping the air clean and clear in the “Windy City.” The city uses natural gas to fuel 73 municipal vehicles. Even the Chicago Department of Aviation operates 32 NGVs at O’Hare Airport, where 10 busses and two shuttles powered by natural gas assist with transporting passengers.

Studies show that we have an abundance of domestic natural gas that can be put to use right now to power our transportation sector. In the Garden State, Hamilton Township is just one of the many cities converting fleets and building infrastructure to support natural gas vehicles. In 2008, Hamilton Township stipulated in their bid proposal for a new garbage collection company that they use clean energy. As a result, the winning bid went to Central Jersey Waste & Recycling, which purchased 10 new natural gas-fueled refuse trucks. "Anytime we can help make our environment cleaner, and at the same time achieve savings for the taxpayers of Hamilton Township, it is a win-win situation for us all," said Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo.

As the “Motor City” works to get back on its feet, they are revving up the use of natural gas to aid in their economic recovery. In a speech at the Detroit Economic Club in 2011, then Chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips James Mulva said, “Detroit and the energy industry are in a lockstep building a strong, American job-creation machine.” Natural gas is supporting more than just job creation; it’s increasing in popularity as a fuel source for many automakers. Ford Motor Co. is offering an option of a dual-fuel compressed natural gas system for the 2014 F-150 model. In addition to the Ford F-150, consumers can choose other cars that run on natural gas, like the bi-fuel Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 pickups. Chrysler introduced the Ram 2500 Heavy Duty pickup in July 2012 to run on natural gas.