Dive Brief:
- In the past two weeks, Republic Services has announced the addition of more than 120 new compressed natural gas (CNG) collection vehicles and four new or upgraded fueling stations, according to company statements.
- On April 20, the company announced 30 new trucks in Kent, WA; 20 in Bridgeton, MO; and 22 in Daly City, CA. This week, they also announced the addition of more than 50 new trucks in Eden Prairie, MN that will serve the Twin Cities region.
- Clean Energy Fuels maintains the fueling stations for all of these fleets. New stations were built in Minnesota and California, and the other two were upgraded to accommodate more vehicles.
Dive Insight:
These announcements are the latest developments in an ongoing plan to introduce or expand CNG fleets in a range of markets. Republic now has more than 2,500 CNG vehicles and 38 fueling stations, which represents an estimated 18% of their overall fleet. Last year, the company touted the resulting emissions reductions in its sustainability report and was also recognized by the nonprofit Carbon Disclosure Project.
CNG trucks have been popular among other companies in the industry as well and still remain so despite the current absence of a renewable fuel tax credit. Waste Management, Waste Connections and a number of other fleets have all invested in the technology in recent years.
Due to the growing demand for organics processing, and the fact that gas from certain facilities can be upgraded to use in vehicles, this trend appears likely to continue for the near future. In states or municipalities with organics diversion policies, that demand may be even higher. According to a new study from natural gas industry groups, expanding the use of natural gas in truck fleets in California could help create 130,000 new jobs and add $14 billion to the state's economy.
