Shuttle Operators at Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Las Vegas Airports contract with Clean Energy

Airport-Adjacent Public Access CNG Stations Will Power Growing Fleets of Natural Gas Fueled Parking Shuttles, Taxis, Limos, and Other Fleet Vehicles.

Parking shuttle and ground transportation operators at major international airports in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and Las Vegas have contracted with Clean Energy Fuels (Nasdaq:CLNE) to design, build and maintain three new airport-adjacent CNG fueling stations. The new public access CNG stations, built on operator-owned properties, will support the transition of airport shuttle fleets to run on natural gas fuel.

“Aware of high concentrations of harmful emissions in and around airports, and concerned about reducing dependence on foreign oil, airports and their allied services are increasingly adopting alternative-fuel policies for their ground transportation vehicles. In most cases, they opt to transition their fleets to vehicles powered by clean-burning natural gas”

“Aware of high concentrations of harmful emissions in and around airports, and concerned about reducing dependence on foreign oil, airports and their allied services are increasingly adopting alternative-fuel policies for their ground transportation vehicles. In most cases, they opt to transition their fleets to vehicles powered by clean-burning natural gas,” said James Harger, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President, Clean Energy.

Harger explained that natural gas fuel produces up to 30% less greenhouse gas emissions in light-duty vehicles compared to gasoline and up to 23%-percent lower greenhouse gas emissions in medium to heavy-duty applications compared to diesel. Department of Energy reports estimate that 98% of the natural gas consumed in the U.S. is sourced in the U.S. and Canada.

Leading U.S. off-airport parking service provider, The Parking Spot (TPS), has awarded Clean Energy a contract to build and maintain CNG fueling stations at TPS-owned sites adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston International Airports.

Kevin Shrier, The Parking Spot Senior Vice President –– Acquisitions & Operations, said, “At every airport we serve, we are committed to helping protect the environment by reducing emission impacts from the operation of our parking shuttle vans. To this end, we have opted to begin replacing our diesel and gasoline-powered shuttles with clean-burning natural gas models, and have contracted with Clean Energy for CNG station construction and operation on several of our properties at major airports around the country.”

Located near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s Northfield Station, the new TPS public access CNG station is designed to fuel several types of shuttles and other private and public fleets in the area. DFW International Airport is the nation’s third busiest, offering nearly 1,750 flights per day and serving 57 million passengers a year. Committed to helping improve air quality and reduce environmental impact, DFW pollution control strategies include reducing mobile and stationary emission sources.

At Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), the new public access Clean Energy/TPS CNG station will operate 24/7 to serve The Parking Spot CNG shuttles as well as fleets owned by other off-airport parking operators, taxis and fleet vehicles in the Northeast Houston area. Ranked as America’s eighth largest airport, IAH now serves more than 43 million passengers annually, offering 700-plus flights a day to 170 destinations.

Operating in Las Vegas since 1941, Whittlesea Bell Transportation is the oldest and largest limousine, taxi, and private shuttle service company in the area. Bell has selected Clean Energy to build and supply a new public access CNG fueling station on a Bell-owned site near Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. The station will offer convenient access 24/7 to CNG-powered limousines, taxis, shuttle vans and buses that serve airport and major Las Vegas hotel, tourist and business locations. McCarran International is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County in southern Nevada. It is located five miles south of the Las Vegas Central Business District. In 2008, McCarran ranked 15th in the world for passenger traffic, with 44 million passengers passing through the terminal.

Brent Bell, President, Bell Transportation, said, “We recognize that air quality is one of the most difficult environmental issues facing Las Vegas today. Our company is committed to supporting local vehicle emissions control initiatives, and we have begun the process of transitioning our fleets to alternative fuel power. We are delighted to work with Clean Energy in this effort, and to the convenient access to clean-burning CNG fuel we’ll have when our new airport CNG station opens.”

(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 12-Jan-10