Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett and other city leaders came together in east Tulsa to break ground on the city's second compressed natural gas fueling station.
Located at 7935 East 33rd Street next to the MTTA bus station, the fueling station will be available for use by MTTA buses, the city's trash trucks, 52 fleet vehicles and members of the public who drive CNG or NVG vehicles.
“It’s right between two interstates. There’s several big users of CNG — both the buses as well as trucks and different vehicles — they will all use this facility. So it’s great, it’s really a good deal,“ said Mayor Bartlett.
Lara Weber, with the City of Tulsa communications department, says the city saves about $20,000 per year on fuel costs thanks to the 52-vehicle fleet.
That fleet, she says, should grow as the second CNG station becomes operational.
The city plans to have 10 to 15 percent of all of its vehicles run on CNG or other alternative energies. The city currently has 121 hybrid vehicles at its disposal as well.
The public utilizes the city's lone CNG fueling station, too. Weber says the city estimates the public buys 3,000-5,000 gallons of CNG at the west Tulsa station per month.
In addition to its low cost to users and its environmental benefits, Mayor Bartlett says increased investment in compressed natural gas is also good for the local economy because it stabilizes the market.
“It helps underpin the market, and that helps the natural gas market. That helps pricing. That helps the City of Tulsa. It helps the State of Oklahoma,” Bartlett said.
The CNG fueling station is expected to cost $1.8 million and open early next year.
Funding comes as a result of the voter approved 2014 Improve Our Tulsa Sales Tax package.
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