UPS wants to build 8 natural gas fuel stations in New Stanton
UPS Inc. wants to build eight stations dispensing compressed natural gas to fuel company vehicles at its facility in New Stanton.
Marie Bolechowski of TruStar Energy of Fontana, Calif., reviewed plans with the borough planning commission this week.
The facility would be the first in the community dispensing compressed natural gas, also known as CNG, borough officials said.
“They’re for the package trucks and the trailer trucks,” Bolechowski said.
TruStar is involved in constructing 16 fueling sites for UPS, Bolechowski said. Natural gas stations in Oklahoma City and New Orleans are scheduled to open later this month.
UPS has nearly 1,000 package trucks on the road that use natural gas, according to the company’s website.
CNG consists mostly of methane and is odorless, colorless and tasteless. It is drawn from domestically drilled natural gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production.
CNG costs less than diesel or gasoline and, from an environmental standpoint, is generally regarded as a better alternative.
UPS began extensively using CNG in 1989 to assess its benefits and viability as an alternative fuel, company officials said.
“The results include: particulate emissions are 95 percent lower than with diesel engines; carbon monoxide emissions are 75 percent lower; and emissions of nitrogen oxides are 49 percent lower,” according to the UPS website.
The dispensing islands are proposed to be situated on about 3,500 square feet near the front of the New Stanton complex, Bolechowski said.
The borough facility is gated and has a guard on duty and a service manager who mans the fueling islands, she noted.
Bolechowski told borough engineer Emil Bove she knows of no permits required by the state Department of Environmental Protection for CNG dispensing.
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania will supply the fuel, and fueling of vehicles takes less than five minutes, Bolechowski said.
When diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles become obsolete, UPS plans to replace them with CNG-powered ones, she said.
UPS typically sponsors a training program for area fire companies on handling emergencies related to natural gas, Bolechowski said.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission opened its first CNG fueling islands for commercial and passenger vehicles in November in the New Stanton plaza.
UPS wants to start construction in New Stanton in May and begin using the fueling islands in July, Bolechowski said.
“We have, right now, over 80 stations in place, operational,” she added of her company.
The planning board, an advisory panel, will vote next month on whether to recommend that borough council support the plans.
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