SECO's alternative fuels projects participate in strong local initiatives and offer a flexible approach to building alternative fuels markets, providing participants with options to address problems unique to their cities and fostering partnerships to help overcome them. 

Austin/San Antonio LPG Refueling Cluster Project (DOE Special Project)
SECO contractor, CleanFUEL USA, the Alamo Area Clean Cities Coalition and the Central Texas Clean Cities have developed a project plan to install a cluster of six propane fueling stations in the San Antonio/Central Texas area through a consortium approach. These stations feature the CleanFUEL USA brand name and are to be linked via the system network. The fuel load and operation of the stations are bid out to local propane marketers, allowing these independent marketers to build load without substantial up-front investments. These fueling stations will be open to the public 24 hours a day and will accept several forms of payment including credit cards, fleet cards and government cards. The creation of a cluster of six stations provides fleets greater fuel use options within this geographical area. The Austin and San Antonio Clean Cities Coalitions will benefit from this project through a royalty agreement with CleanFUEL USA. For every gallon of propane motor fuel sold to network customers recruited by the Clean Cities Coalition, $0.25 will be donated to the coalition to fund future AFV projects. 

Houston LPG Refueling Cluster Project (DOE Special Project)
SECO contractor, CleanFUEL USA, will install a propane fueling network in the Houston area. This project will initially provide three propane fueling sites, with additional sites added as demand rises. These sites provide area fleets with adequate public fueling infrastructure and will provide an incentive for additional propane vehicles to be placed into service in the area. These stations, built by the CleanFUEL USA, will feature the CleanFUEL USA brand name and will be linked via the system network. The fuel load and operation of the stations will be bid out to local propane marketers allowing these independent marketers to build load without substantial up-front investments. These fueling stations will be open to the public 24 hours a day and will accept several forms of payment including credit cards, fleet cards and government cards. CleanFUEL USA will donate to the Houston Clean Cities Coalition $0.25 per gallon of propane fuel sold to new network customers recruited by the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Cities Program.

Gas to Propane Vehicle Conversion (DOE Special Project)
This project will provide for the incremental cost of converting 46 trucks for the Schwan's home service route business in Texas. All 46 trucks will be dedicated propane trucks and will travel approximately 2,136,000 miles per year in their normal course of business. At this number of miles, the trucks should consume approximately 474,667 gallons of propane annually. Based on fuel economy statistics, these 46 trucks utilizing propane will yield an estimated annual cost saving of approximately $322,773 depending on the volatility of gasoline and propane prices.

Gas to Propane Vehicle Conversion (DOE Special Project)
This project will provide for the incremental cost of converting 74 Schwan’s Food Company gasoline delivery trucks to propane. The delivery vehicles are 8.1-liter trucks made by General Motors Corporation. All trucks will be equipped with one main tank that is mounted on the passenger side of the vehicle with a second tank mounted on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The conversions will be done by Monroe Truck Equipment of Flint Michigan using the Bi-phase Liquid Propane Injection System.

The 74 trucks will be put into service at the following Schwan’s depot locations throughout the State of Texas.

Mechanic Training - Railroad Commission of Texas
Energy education outreach and training is a key part of Texas’ effort under the Alternative Fuels Program to help fleets comply with state and federal alternative fuels laws and achieve federal and state policy objectives. Under SECO’s direction, the Railroad Commission of Texas,  Alternative Fuels Research & Education Division, has developed curriculum and provided automotive training on alternative fuels to public and private fleet operators of more than 6,000 AFVs since 1993. In 2006, demand for alternative fuels automotive courses is expected to increase for operators of both highway and off-road AFVs due to new incentives enacted in the 2005 federal energy and highway bills, implementation of EPA’s 2007 emissions standards and CARB retrofit verification.

Landfill Gas Project - Texas Transportation Institute
SECO contractor, Texas A&M University’s Texas Transportation Institute, will study and assist in the development of a better understanding of the implications of converting landfill gas into liquid natural gas (LNG) to be used to fuel refuse trucks in Texas. In this project the team will develop an inventory of Texas landfill sites and associated refuse trucks, perform a preliminary estimate of the emissions and energy implications of employing the landfill gas conversion approach in one or more non-attainment areas, and perform a preliminary economic feasibility for powering refuse trucks with LNG produced from landfill gases.

School Bus and Infrastructure Project - Duncanville ISD (DOE Special Project)
Duncanville ISD will purchase five new compressed natural gas (CNG) school buses and implement a new CNG fueling station that will be built at the maintenance yard. A slow-fill CNG station consisting of dual fuelmaker compressors capable of refueling buses over-night at 3,600 psi with initially five slow-fill posts dedicated to the refueling of CNG buses. The buses will be fitted with CARB certified John Deere 8.1 liter engines.

Clean School Bus Project – Laredo ISD (EPA Grant)
This demonstration project will include the implementation of several clean fuel technologies that meet the 2004 Federal Emissions Standards in this fleet. These include the use of Texas Low Emission for the entire fleet and EPA certified retrofit technologies for 60 diesel buses and replacement of six buses.

Propane School Bus Rebate – Railroad Commission of Texas (DOE Special Project)
This grant offers school-bus operators the cost and emissions advantages of operating their fleets on Propane. School buses are exempt from State of Texas air-quality requirements, so the addition of LEV-certified buses to participating fleets will produce measurable emissions benefits for Texas Clean Cities. In addition, the project will demonstrate how many gallons of conventional fuels a typical dedicated propane school bus may be expected to displace annually and assess the technical requirements for participating school districts; maintenance personnel.

Forklift Fuel Economy Testing - Railroad Commission of Texas
Through SECO, the Railroad Commission of Texas and subcontractor Southwest Research Institute will identify and secure authorization to perform fuel economy measurements on three typical forklift trucks in the San Antonio area. At the truck's work location, a defined course will be laid out to be driven for fuel economy measurement. Each configuration will be driven three times to establish precision and in each scenario, exhaust CO will be measured for reference. Fuel consumption will be measured directly by weighing the fuel cylinder before and after driving the truck.  The same driver will be used for each test, driving the same route.  Results will be computed and tabulated by Southwest Research Institute.

Mansfield ISD (DOE Special Project Grant for 2006)
Mansfield ISD (MISD) will purchase 11 dedicated CNG transit-style school buses with CARB certified John Deer 8.1 engines. MISD has committed to replacing all diesel buses with CNG buses, with a reliable station at their facility. The purchase of the first 11 buses is expected to cost over $1,262,000. MISD will install and implement CNG infrastructure at their facility.

CNG Infrastructure - City of Lake Jackson
This upgrade will allow the City of Lake Jackson to continue the conversion of their fleet to CNG. The current station has only one compressor and is used to time-fill 6 heavy-duty refuse trucks and quick-fill 15 light-duty vehicles. The primary purpose of the station upgrade is to add a second compressor for redundancy to guarantee fuel availability, thus allowing City of Lake Jackson to convert the entire fleet to CNG. This upgrade will be done in partnership with a turnkey station provider located at the City’s maintenance facility. This will expand the capacity of both the time fill and quick fill systems. The time-fill facility is exclusively for the City’s use, while the quick-fill system will be made available to other area fleet operators and public access dispensers for others in the community. The station will be protected with a proper dryer, inlet filters and pressure relief devices on the fast-fill storage cylinders and it will be capable of refueling vehicles at 3600 psi, adjusted for heat of compression.  

CLEAN CITIES

The DOE Clean Cities Program, promoted in Texas by SECO, is a voluntary, locally based, government/industry partnership to expand the use of alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuel by accelerating the deployment of AFVs and by building a local AFV refueling infrastructure. Under the direction of SECO, Clean Cities Coordinators bring together fuel suppliers, fleet operators, vehicle manufacturers, dealerships, conversion facilities and public/private entities with an interest in accelerating and expanding the alternative fuels market in each of the nine coalitions in Texas. In 2005, SECO was awarded the Governmental Partner of the Year at the National Clean Cities Conference for its support of Texas coalitions. Throughout the life of Clean Cities, Texas has consistently been awarded high national recognition for the innovative forward-thinking approaches to introduce and implement the use of Alternative Fuels in Texas.

Clean Cities works directly with local businesses and governments, guiding them through each step in the process of building the foundation for a vibrant local organization, including goal-setting, coalition-building and securing commitments. Current and potential members of the Clean Cities network also help each other by sharing local innovations, addressing and relaying obstacles they encounter in pursuing alternative fuels programs and exchanging "do's and don'ts" based on experiences in these programs. Clean Cities continually pioneers innovations and aspires to make strides nationally as well as locally.

Through outreach methods such as Advancing the Choice workshops and Beyond a Billion events, Clean Cities is dedicated to creating new jobs and commercial opportunities, facilitating alternative fuel vehicle production and conversion, expanding local refueling infrastructure, increasing the use of alternative fuels, developing "clean corridors," increasing public awareness and advancing clean air objectives.

Current Clean Cities Coordinators located in Texas:

• Austin
• Beaumont/Port Arthur
• Houston/Galveston
• Corpus Christi
• Tyler/Longview
• Dallas/Ft. Worth
• San Antonio
• Laredo
• El Paso
• Pending New Clean Cities Coalition- Victoria

South East Texas Regional Planning Commission (Beaumont/Port Arthur)
Designated in 2004, this coalition includes Hardin, Jefferson and Orange counties, 19 member cities and 21 special purpose districts. Although this is a small coalition it is dynamic in its structure and innovative in its administration and marketing of the use of alternative fuels to its stakeholders. The focus is mainly the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquid Propane Gas (LPG) fuels in city fleets and Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) and biodiesel in the local school districts. This coalition publishes a newsletter on their website that highlights current and future transportation issues and provides information to readers on local outreach initiatives directed at energy efficiency in the use of alternative fuels.

East Texas Council of Governments (Tyler/Longview)
Designated in 2001, this coalition includes Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood counties. The Tyler/Longview coalition covers a mainly rural area, yet it is in the EPA’s non-attainment zone due to the pollution from the Dallas-Fort Worth region. This coalition focuses on the use of CNG, LPG and biodiesel fuels. The Clean Cities activities are promoted and marketed through the Council of Governments website.

Alamo Area Council of Governments (San Antonio)
Designated in 1999, this coalition includes Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe and Wilson counties. This coalition focuses on the use of ethanol, CNG, LPG, and biodiesel, with an emphasis on idle reduction technologies and hybrid vehicles in the regions city fleets. In 2005, the first public ethanol refueling facility was dedicated in San Antonio along side the newly opened LPG site. Under the COG’s leadership, the benefits of a successful Clean Cities program have been promoted through a strong stakeholder base. Education outreach initiatives have included Advancing the Choice Events.

North Central Texas Council of Governments (Dallas/Ft. Worth)
Dedicated in 1995, this coalition was one of the first in the nation. NCTCC serves the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Denton-Lewisville, and McKinney urbanized areas and surroundings. This coalition focuses on the use of ethanol, CNG, hydrogen, biodiesel and hybrids. NCTCC supports the installation and implementation of idle reduction technologies at truck stops in the metropolitan area, and is responsible for the increase of deployment of AFVs in the Dallas police force and other governmental areas of the DFW Metroplex. The coalition keeps the public informed of activities through many outreach initiatives including a highly user-friendly web page.

Central Texas Clean Cities (Austin)
Dedicated in 1999, this coalition serves the Travis, Williamson, Hays, and Bastrop counties. In 2004 the Coordinator for the Central Texas Clean Cities was awarded Coordinator of the Year for the Central National Region for her efforts in advancing the initiatives of DOE’s Clean Cities Program. The focus fuels are CNG, LPG, biodiesel and ethanol.

Houston/Galveston Clean Cities
Dedicated in 1998, this coalition serves Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties. The primary goal of this coalition is to reduce nitrogen oxides (Nox) and volatile organic compounds emissions. This coalition also seeks to maximize the use of clean fuel vehicles operating within the Houston region to improve air quality, achieve energy independence and stimulate economic growth. The fuel focus is CNG, LPG, ethanol and hybrid vehicles.

Victoria Clean Cities
The Victoria coalition will be designated in the fall of 2007, completing the push to incorporate all of the non-attainment cities in Texas into a team of aggressive coordinators and stakeholders moving toward the same goal of increasing the use of alternative fuels and alternative fueling infrastructure in Texas.  The fuel focus is CNG, LPG, ethanol and hybrid vehicles.

Alamo Area Council of Governments
The Texas Hydrogen Highway project represents an early focus region for both stationary and transportation applications for the hydrogen-related industry in Texas. The initial hydrogen study focuses on energy technology projects located in a geographic and economic triangle anchored by Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso and Houston/Galveston. These five cities encompass the state's largest population and economic centers, as well as the areas with the greatest need for emissions reduction. This region also contains existing hydrogen technology infrastructure, corporate expertise and educational institutions that can foster the emerging hydrogen industry.

PENDING PROJECTS

CNG Infrastructure – City of Austin
The City of Austin will implement a CNG infrastructure in conjunction with a turnkey station supplier. A dual compressor will be implemented to insure that the fleet will always be able to get fuel, even if one compressor goes down for repairs. The station will have a public access fast-fill dispenser with an integral card reader so that multiple fleets can utilize the station easily. In addition, the station will support 10-dual time fill posts. The station will be protected with a proper dryer, inlet filters and pressure relief devices on the fast fill storage cylinders.

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