1st public CNG pumps available
CRANBERRY TWP — There now is a much cheaper fuel option for drivers, but not everyone will be able to take advantage of the savings.
That's because two new gas pumps that opened Thursday at the GetGo station in Cranberry Crossings on Route 228 are for compressed natural gas (CNG), which is cheaper and cleaner than gasoline but used only in vehicles equipped for it.
This is the first public CNG gas station in Butler County.
The new pumps represent only a small portion of the fuel that's available at the store, given that there are 16 other gasoline pumps.
But that doesn't mean the opening is insignificant. Quite the opposite for people such as Robert DeLucia, who owns the Star Transportation Group that operates both the Cranberry Taxi and Veterans Taxi service.
DeLucia, who made one of his vehicles available Thursday for a demonstration, said he has more than 25 vehicles in his fleet that run solely on CNG. Before Thursday, he was forced to send vehicles to Pittsburgh to fill up every time the need arose.
The businessman said it was a no-brainer to convert some of his vehicles to CNG. After all, he filled up his car Thursday with compressed natural gas at a cost of $1.96 a gallon, compared to the national average of $3.58 a gallon for regular gasoline, according to AAA.
“It's really only a matter of time really with the state of gas prices,” DeLucia said about the increasing popularity of alternative fuel vehicles. “When it goes up even further to $5 or $6 a gallon, then people will really start to notice.”
Susan Malone, a regional director for the state Department of Environmental Protection, spoke at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the gas pump.
She said the placement of the new CNG pumps is key, given the proximity to the confluence of so many major roads in the area such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 79.
Malone also said the biggest complaint so far from alternative-fuel drivers is the scarcity of CNG pumps across the nation. Thursday's opening is just one small step in the spread of the clean technology.Dave Daniel, the vice president of GetGo operations for Giant Eagle, said that compressed natural gas has the same energy content as gasoline, and that vehicles that use the fuel typically have similar fuel economy ratings compared to regular gasoline.Daniel said he's “really excited” over the opportunity to offer a new alternative fuel source to the region.“We take seriously our commitment to contributing to the communities we serve, and being a steward of the environment is an important way that we accomplish this,” he said.GetGo officials didn't have to wait long for their first customer. Only minutes after the ribbon-cutting, a woman driving a vehicle with a New York license plate pulled into a stall with a look of relief at finally finding a CNG pump.While the new pump in Cranberry Township is the first in the county to be open to the public, it's not the first of its kind in the county.Vogel Disposal in Adams Township last year bought 10 CNG-powered garbage trucks to add to its fleet at a cost of more than $300,000 per truck. The company opened its own CNG filling station there, but it is not open to the public.Additionally, the Butler Transit Authority in 2011 received a $1 million grant to buy a CNG-powered coach and other buses for its fleet. The authority plans to open a fueling pump to the public, meaning the county's second CNG fueling station isn't far behind.
