Cleaner air on campus

UB installs compressed natural gas station

By ELLEN GOLDBAUM
News Services Editor

Located on the west side of the Helm service area off Service Center Road on the North Campus and tapping into existing gas pipelines, the station will be the first in the Town of Amherst. It is expected to begin operation later this fall.

Installation of new underground diesel and gasoline storage tanks at the site, which will continue to offer these fuels in addition to CNG, has been under way for several weeks. Several BlueBird buses and UB cargo vans already run on CNG.

The project is a cooperative venture between UB, the Town of Amherst, Erie County and National Fuel Gas Corp. Bids on the installation contract were received last week and are being evaluated by Facilities Planning and Design.

Planning for the refueling station began four years ago, at the suggestion of UB's Environmental Task Force. "The station is part of UB's effort to address the requirements of the Clean Air Act and its overall policy to be at the forefront of environmental policies and procedures," said Fred Smeader, manager of engineering services in the Office of Design and Construction.

By the year 2000, 80 percent of new vehicles purchased for state and federal government fleets must be running on alternate fuels, according to the legislation.

Total cost of the project, including staff services and construction costs for the new station, will be between $500,000 and $600,000, with $275,000 coming from the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency.

The agency also has funded engineering services, the design contract for the engineering consulting firms, EA Engineering of Newburgh and Wendell Engineering of West Amherst, and future conversions of UB-owned vehicles to run on compressed natural gas.

The Town of Amherst will pave the area off Service Center Road for the new station, and has provided design and planning services. The Erie County Legislature has funded $30,000 of the project.

While CNG costs approximately 20 percent less than gasoline, UB officials noted that at least for the near future, savings will be offset by the need to purchase new CNG-powered vehicles, which currently cost between $3,500 and $5,000 more than equivalent gasoline-powered vehicles.

John P. Hayes, manager of automotive and warehouse services, said the university hopes to purchase two CNG-powered vehicles per year for the next several years. UB has also applied for grants that would allow the conversion of six additional vehicles to CNG.

Recently, the Office of Public Safety began using a CNG-powered Crown Victoria police cruiser, on loan temporarily from the Ford Motor Co. as part of the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities program, which promotes the use of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Four BlueBird buses that service UB and two of UB's cargo vans run on CNG. Those vehicles now fill up at the Town of Tonawanda CNG station on Military Road that is operated by National Fuel Gas Corp.

Smeader noted that CNG-powered vehicles are less prevalent in the U.S. than in other countries, such as Canada, in part because of an inadequate infrastructure for refueling.

He said that while there are about 10 CNG refueling stations between Buffalo and Syracuse, there are nearly 50 stations between Fort Erie, Ont., and Toronto.

The UB station will service Town of Amherst vehicles that run on CNG, in addition to UB vehicles.

"This is not a new, exotic fuel," said Carmen Rossi, natural-gas vehicle program manager for National Fuel Gas Corp., which will supply fuel to the station. "This is the same fuel we use to heat our homes and to cook our food."

Rossi explained that CNG's clean-burning properties come from the fact that it has a lower carbon content. Hydrocarbon and nitrous oxide emissions are significantly reduced, with carbon monoxide emissions near zero.

The fuel is considered safer than gasoline because it has a much higher ignition point and because it dissipates quickly since it is lighter than air.

Vehicles that run on CNG also require less maintenance, such as less frequent oil changes.

According to Rossi, imported fuel represents about 74 percent of fuel used in New York State, while nationwide the figure is about 50 percent.

"The U.S. has from 100 to 200 years' worth of its own natural gas supplies," he noted, "making CNG an attractive alternate fuel."

One concern about CNG vehicles now being addressed by manufacturers is the fact that some have a significantly shorter range than gasoline-powered vehicles.

The CNG vehicle being used by Public Safety, for example, carries a 10-gallon tank. The fuel tank on the gasoline-burning model has a capacity of 18 gallons.

"The purpose of the loaner is to demonstrate the drivability and performance of a CNG vehicle," explained Rossi, "as compared to a liquid-fuel vehicle. People assume that driving a CNG car will somehow be different, but once they drive it, they see it handles just as well. The difference is the large reduction in emissions coming out of the tailpipe."