Companies across the state of Pennsylvania are getting help purchasing heavy duty fleet vehicles or converting them to natural gas.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on Friday awarded $7.7 million in Act 13 funding to 25 local companies and organizations making the switch, including the Beaver County-based Beemac Trucking LLC.
"Act 13 not only strengthened oversight of the drilling industry, it allows us to continue growing jobs while cleaning the air at the same time," Gov. Tom Corbett said. "Natural gas, particularly from the shale formations here in Pennsylvania, is an abundant, affordable, domestic fuel that is putting this country on a path to energy independence."
Beemac Trucking received $500,000 to purchase 20 compressed natural gas tractor trailer trucks, DEP officials said in a release. The trucks will be used for local flatbed transportation of freight, said DEP spokeswoman Lynda Rebarchak.
She also said Beemac is constructing a new CNG fueling station on Duss Avenue in Harmony Township, which is not funded by the grant money.
"With these grants, we wanted to know where they planned to fuel the vehicles, whether at an existing station or a new station, and if that station would be open to the public," Rebarchak said. "Part of (the grant process) was to look at the overall goal for these companies and organizations."
In Allegheny County, Giant Eagle received $300,000 to purchase 20 CNG vehicles; and Freight Equipment Leasing LLC received $150,000 to buy six CNG tractor trailers.
These recent round of grants are part of Act 13's Natural Gas Energy Development program, funded by drilling impact fees, DEP officials said. The program will dole out up to $20 million in grants over three years, they said. Grants awarded can't exceed half of the purchase of retrofit amount or $25,000.
There are also other options for converting vehicles to natural gas or purchasing natural gas-powered vehicles. On March 1, the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant (AFIG) program application process was opened.
The AFIG program will allocate $8 million to help companies to purchase or convert CNG, LNG or bi-fuel vehicles weighing 26,000 pounds or less. It also includes electric, propane or other alternative fuel vehicles of any size. DEP is also accepting applications for innovative technology projects, such as research, training, development of the demonstration of new alternative transportation fuels or vehicles technology.
To find out more about AFIG and Act 13 grant programs, go to www.dep.state.pa.us and click on the "Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program" button.
Copyright 2014 - Beaver County Times, Pa.
