The Hamilton, Ohio, Department of Public Utilities recently signed up its first anchor fleet for the city-owned compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station. The city completed construction of the public-access facility, located at 2220 S. Erie Blvd., in late 2014.
Hamilton currently has seven CNG vehicles in its fleet and is planning to purchase or convert a number of additional CNG vehicles in the near future. However, in order to make the CNG fueling station truly viable, the city says it needed to bring in additional outside CNG vehicles, either through securing fleet operators or other private vehicles.
The city says it determined that Rumpke Inc., a refuse and recycling company that has served Hamilton for over 20 years and operates a fleet of CNG trucks, would be an excellent contract customer for the station.
“We are excited to partner with Rumpke on this CNG venture,” states Doug Childs, the city's public utilities director. “Hamilton and Rumpke are strong proponents of the economic and environmental benefits of natural gas and its use as an alternative fuel source in vehicles. We are continuing to seek out other opportunities for additional sales of CNG to commercial fleets and individual vehicles.”
The CNG fueling station was jointly funded by the city and a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant, awarded to the city by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.
