Port of Seattle will halve emissions with 100% biomethane shuttle buses
The Port of Seattle Commission approved a contract to enable the Port to reach its 2030 goal to reduce carbon emissions by 50%, almost a decade early. This long-sought major milestone, voted on at the Commission meeting on April 14, 2020, results from authorization for a 10-year contract with U.S. Gain for the supply of renewable natural gas. The fuel delivery begins October 1, 2020.
The $23 million contract allows the Port to purchase enough fuel to heat 55% of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) terminal and to power 100% of its bus fleet to reach its 50% port-wide carbon reduction goal. SEA will be the first airport in the country to utilize renewable natural gas for heating.
“The Commission vote is another example of the Port’s environmental leadership, even in hard times,” said Commission Vice President Fred Felleman and founding chair of the Energy and Sustainability Committee. “While it’s critical that immediate attention is given to recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, we must continue to reduce our carbon footprint if we are to avoid the long-term economic and human costs associated with the climate crisis.”
“We are honored to supply renewable natural gas to SEA and applaud them on achieving such an incredible milestone, well ahead of schedule,” said Bryan Nudelbacher, director of RNG business development with U.S. Gain. “It is the immediate solution to reduce thermal and transportation-related carbon emissions and because of this, we’re committed to developing new projects that expand access to others seeking sustainability wins, like SEA.”
