OGS MAKES UPGRADE TO HAUPPAUGE CLEAN NATURAL GAS FUELING SITE
Station Largest Public CNG Site on the East Coast
Use at the Site will displace 400,000 gallons of Foreign Oil Annually
New York State Office of General Services Commissioner John J. Spano today
announced the agency and Clean Energy have completed an upgrade to the Clean
Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station adjacent to the Perry S. Duryea, Jr. State
Office Building on Veterans Highway in Hauppauge, NY, Suffolk County. The Long
Island Power Authority and Keyspan were also instrumental in the site upgrade
project.
The station’s upgrade expands CNG dispensing capabilities from 30-40
gallons/hour to approximately 1,000 gallons/hour and adds two additional
dual-hose dispensers. These upgrades make the facility the largest publicly
accessible CNG fueling station on the East coast.
Key highlights of the upgrade include: High capacity CNG compressors up to
2000 scfm (equivalent to 850 gallons of diesel per hour); State-of-the-art PLC
unmanned control systems setup for remote monitoring; and Fast flow CNG
dispensers with electronic temperature compensation.
“Thanks to Governor Pataki’s commitment to expanding the use of alternative
fuels and reducing New York State’s dependency on foreign oil, OGS has been able
to implement numerous initiatives to increase the use of alternative fuels both
within State Government and to the public.” OGS Commissioner Spano said, “The
upgrade to the CNG public fueling site in Hauppauge allows for quicker fill-ups
and a greater capacity for vehicles, which in turn will help lead to a greater
use of CNG and the displacement millions of gallons of foreign oil.”
Clean Energy, through a contract with the State’s Office of General Services
(OGS) and Department of Transportation (DOT), currently operates 11 state-owned
CNG fueling facilities, 10that are open to the public. NYSERDA provided a
$150,000 contract under the Clean Cities Challenge Program to support the
upgrades to the Clean Energy’s Hauppauge facility. NYSERDA has previously
awarded $166,000 to Clean Energy to construct two new CNG stations and take over
operation of another seven stations for the State.
Announced earlier this year, the expanded station also supports a landmark
program instituted by the Town of Smithtown that requires all residential refuse
collection vehicles contracted by the town to be CNG-powered models. Through a
seven-year contract with Clean Energy, the town expects to see dramatic
reductions in harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, as
well as the displacement of more than 2.5 million gallons of imported petroleum.
Smithtown is the first community outside of California to implement a program
with a 100-percent mandate for CNG.
Andrew J. Littlefair, president and CEO of Clean Energy, said, “We are proud
to bring this natural gas fueling service to Smithtown as it deploys its new
fleet of natural gas refuse trucks. The Town’s landmark decision to convert its
entire refuse collection operation from diesel power to cleaner, cheaper,
domestic natural gas clearly demonstrates its commitment to ensuring a healthy
community environment.”
According to Robert B. Catell, Chairman and CEO KeySpan Corporation,
“Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks offer the most significant economic,
environmental and energy independence benefits of today’s available trucks. The
installation of the first high volume public access CNG fueling station on Long
Island is a major advancement in placing more heavy duty CNG vehicles into
service. KeySpan commends the Partnership formed by New York State through
Governor Pataki and Clean Energy to create the East Coast’s largest public
access CNG fueling station. KeySpan also salutes the leadership and vision of
Supervisor Vecchio and his staff to implement a CNG sanitation truck solution
for the Town of Smithtown. This requirement has created the demand for the new
CNG station."
“The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) is proud to have made a contribution
to this important project for Long Island,” said LIPA Chairman, Richard M.
Kessel. “LIPA is committed to reducing the region’s dependence on fossil fuels
while increasing energy efficiency to protect Long Island’s economy and
environment.”
In 2003, New York State entered into a partnership with Clean Energy to
operate some of the State’s CNG facilities and open them to the public. Clean
Energy operates 10 CNG fueling stations in New York State that are open to the
public, and another station that is used solely for State vehicles. Overall,
there are 59 CNG stations across the State, though most are for State vehicle
use only.
Governor Pataki created the New York State Clean Fueled Vehicle Program in
1996 to promote the development and use of alternative vehicles, help to reduce
our dependence on imported fuels, and lower harmful emissions that impact our
environment. The State’s Clean Fueled Vehicle Council was established two years
later to establish a strategy to acquire clean-fueled vehicles for State use,
create a comprehensive fueling infrastructure for these vehicles, and also test
and evaluate new technologies. The Council, chaired by OGS Commissioner John J.
Spano, is comprised of representatives from 18 State agencies and authorities,
and the State University system.
Under the “fuel neutral” approach adopted by the Council, New York has
transformed its vehicle fleet from having almost no clean-fueled vehicles in
1995 to now having 6143 alternative-fueled vehicles, approximately 46 percent of
total State vehicles, with an additional 277 on order. Of the total
alternative-fueled vehicles:
- 2,216 use CNG;
- 2,291 can use ethanol (E85);
- 101 are electric;
- 129 use propane;
- 574 are hybrid vehicles;
- 831 use neighborhood electric; and
- 1 use hydrogen.
The use of these alternative-fueled vehicles reduced the State’s use of
petroleum in its vehicles by nearly 3.2 million gallons in the last five years.
For more information on the State’s Clean Fueled Vehicles Council, please
visit
www.ogs.state.ny.us/supportservices/vehicles/defaultCFV.html.
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