by the Texas Natural Gas Now Team

If you are new to the natural gas vehicle (NGV) conversation then you might not know all the environmental and economic benefits that NGVs provide the state of Texas.

First, NGVs are cleaner than traditional vehicles – they emit less carbon dioxide and significantly reduce smog-producing pollutants.

Second, compared to vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel, NGVs have a higher octane rating, better fuel efficiency and lower operating costs. That means more money for your bottom line.

According to Mario Diaz, Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport System Director, switching some its shuttles to compressed natural gas (CNG) will save the airport about $360,000 a year, reduce emissions and cut airport shuttle maintenance costs. And he would know.

Recently, Houston’s Apache Corporation built a new $1.3 million CNG station near the airport and donated it to the City of Houston. Apache made this gift after the city purchased 30 CNG-powered parking shuttles for the airport’s economy lot, which was renamed “EcoPark.”

This is spectacular news for the City of Houston! Not only will this help the city with fueling and maintenance costs for its vehicle fleet, but it complements the other green initiatives that Apache CEO G. Steven Farris and Houston’s then-mayor, Bill White launched in 2009, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“This is sort of like the beginning of, I think, a three- to four-year really big ramp-up,” said Frank Chapel Jr., Apache’s director of natural gas transportation fuels.

If this is just the beginning, then there is a lot of room to grow. And thankfully, companies like Apache are jumping ahead of the curve. But, they aren’t the only ones driving the momentum.

The State of Texas is leading the way through innovative policies, too. In 2011, the Legislature enacted a law to encourage the use of NGVs in Texas and to support the development of the Texas Clean Transportation Triangle—a natural gas transportation corridor along I-45, I-10 and I-35 connecting Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston.

Talk about an epic move! At least 10 percent of the total U.S. transportation sector travels through the Triangle each year. This type of forward thinking from cities, companies and states is going to help every Texan. Cleaning up our air and keeping money in our pockets sure sounds like a win-win proposition to us.

*Photo courtesy of Apache Corporation