Boonville MS Saves Money with Natural Gas Fueling Station
Mayor: Greener fuel will save Booneville green down the road
BOONEVILLE, MS – Mayor Derrick Blythe calls Booneville’s new compressed natural gas fueling station a win-win situation.
Booneville already has 14 vehicles using compressed natural gas, and the city is waiting to convert the 15th over to the dual fuel system. The engines crank using gasoline, but once the engine warms up, it switches over to natural gas.
“The engines run cooler and cleaner. It’s better on the environment. It’s cheaper than gasoline,” Blythe said. “Other than the initial cost (of the station and converting vehicles), I can’t find a downside.
“We’re paying about $9,000 a month in fuel costs right now. That figure will drop significantly. I think that within six months, we will start seeing savings.”
The fueling station, located on Veterans Drive just east of Jacinto Road, will allow the city to take advantage of the lower-cost fuel. Once the pump is certified accurate by the state, the city will be able to start selling natural gas to private citizens and companies.
“Waste Connection already has a natural gas-powered garbage truck to pick up our trash,” Blythe said. “There are several 18-wheelers around here that use CNG. Instead of driving all the way to Mantachie (to the nearest compressed natural gas station), they can come here. We’re just three miles off a major highway.”
Blythe has a plan to not only save the city money, but introduce more dual-fuel vehicles to the public. The city can buy used vehicles from Oklahoma and Texas and save conversion costs, which can run more than $10,000 per vehicle.
“We can buy a truck with 60,000 miles that is already converted for around $20,000,” Blythe said. “We can run it for a couple of years, then surplus it and sell it to the public, so more people can see the benefits.
“Since we have been talking about this, local dealerships have been buying used trucks that are already converted to sell on their lots. The sheriff’s department is interested in switching over some of their vehicles.”
Since Booneville owns its natural gas system, it can buy natural gas wholesale, and “sell” it to itself at cost. The city still has to pay excise and road taxes on the fuel, but the state offers an alternative fuel incentive that could send 50 cents for every gallon pumped through the fueling station back into the city coffers. With the state rebate, Booneville will only be paying pennies per gallon for the compressed natural gas.
Those savings will help to pay for the cost of the fueling station. The total cost of the station was more than $300,000 but almost half that amount came through a Mississippi Development Authority small municipalities grant.
– Find Out More Information on How P.C. McKenzie Company Can help You Save Money by Installing a Compressed Natural Gas Refueling Station –
