Utility is promoting the power and promise of CNG vehicles
DOVER—Chesapeake Utilities recently hosted a summit on “green” fleet management to coincide with the opening of a new compressed natural gas public fueling station.
The “Fleet Management Summit on Environmental Responsibility” included a series of presentations by federal and state public officials on fleet transitions to natural gas and other alternative vehicle fuels. The event was hosted in partnership with the Delaware Clean Cities Coalition.
Shane Breakie, assistant vice president of Chesapeake Utilities, told American Gas, “We were very pleased with the turnout. Over 75 people attended. It was a diverse group made up of fleet managers and representatives from state, federal and county agencies. They were there to share success stories and to discuss the benefits of natural gas as a vehicle fuel. Waste Management even brought one of their natural gas vehicles and talked about their success.”
The utility and the state of Delaware, in large part through its Clean Cities Coalition, are committed to promoting the use of clean alternatives to diesel and gasoline. According to Breakie, their efforts are paying off. “Acceptance of CNG as a vehicle fuel is growing for sure,” he said, “especially across Class 7 and Class 8 trucks.”
The new Chesapeake Utilities public CNG fueling station is in Dover, just off busy Route 1. “I think we’re in a perfect location here,” Breakie told us. “It’s the only public fueling station here on the Delmarva,” he said, referring to the peninsula shared by Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, “and it’s supporting the transition of our own fleet over to CNG. Because it’s close to a highway with an off-ramp nearby, we’ve already started to see large Class 8 trucks stopping to use this station.”
That quick acceptance is good news for Chesapeake Utilities, a company committed to increasing natural gas use and improving the quality of life for Delaware residents.
“CNG is a low-cost fuel providing reduced emissions compared to diesel and gasoline,” Breakie said. “Addressing those dirtier fuels and replacing them with natural gas is a huge benefit for the air we breathe.”