Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter will recognize the City of Arlington for its use of natural gas vehicles during a special check presentation on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 9:00 a.m. in the Arlington City Hall Council Chambers.
Currently, the City operates six vehicles on natural gas, and contracts with refuse hauler Republic Waste Services, which operates 39 natural gas trash trucks. Three of the City's six natural gas vehicles are Honda Civics that run on compressed natural gas. These were purchased with a $20,805 grant through the Railroad Commission. While each CNG vehicle cost an additional $6,935 to purchase, the fuel-cost savings over a 10-year period is between $1,000 and $2,000 per vehicle.
"The cost savings fleets will observe with natural gas vehicles make them a common-sense choice. For public fleets, those savings help taxpayers, as well as their residents, to breathe a little easier," Porter said. "Natural gas is less expensive than gasoline or diesel, and additional federal and local incentives for the purchase of natural gas fuel and natural gas-powered vehicles help make the financial benefits even stronger." Commissioner Porter will make a formal presentation of this grant to the City through the check presentation on Wednesday.
Mayor Robert Cluck is appreciative of the honor, recognizing the savings and environmental benefits of natural gas vehicles. "The incentives that allowed the City of Arlington to select natural gas for its vehicles have been crucial," said Mayor Cluck. "We are using the energy we produce in our own region, and our residents have benefited with the new quieter and cleaner running engines."
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