BURLINGTON, Vt. (Thursday, Sept. 2) – Senator Patrick Leahy announced Thursday that the City of Burlington and the University of Vermont will be receiving $1.98 million from the Federal Transit Administration to design and build Vermont’s first public-use compressed natural gas (CNG) fast-fill fueling station, and to purchase CNG buses for UVM.  Leahy, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured the funds for the project. 

A collaborative effort by Burlington, UVM, E-Vermont, Vermont Gas and the Vermont Agency of Transportation has been underway on the project for more than two years.  The City of Burlington will house a CNG fueling station at the city’s Public Works garage on Pine Street.  UVM will use up to five CNG buses on its campus loop, which is run by the Campus Area Transportation Management Association (CATMA). 

A fast-fill station can fill a natural gas vehicle virtually as fast as a conventional vehicle can be filled with gasoline.  CNG buses are better for the environment than conventional diesel buses because they greatly reduce emissions of particulates, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. 

“Cleaner alternative fuels are a natural for Burlington and for UVM,” said Leahy.  “This infrastructure investment will pay off for the city and for the campus with cleaner air, boosting the livability factors that help make Vermont such a great place to live.  I’m proud that this will help keep us on the cutting edge in reducing our dependence on foreign oil and in cleaning our air.” 

"Burlington's first fast-fill natural gas fueling station represents a major step toward achieving key environmental goals of our Legacy Project,” said Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle.  “Thanks to this partnership of Senator Leahy, the City of Burlington and the University of Vermont, we will be able to dramatically increase the number of alternative-fueled vehicles in City and UVM fleets." 

“The funds Senator Leahy secured could not have come at a better time,” said University of Vermont President Daniel Mark Fogel.  “We are well on our way toward achieving pre-eminence in environmental teaching and research, and we are also working hard to improve our campus facilities and operations in order to become the nation’s premier environmental university.  These alternative fuel buses, in addition to ‘green-certified’ campus buildings that will be constructed and operated in environmentally responsible ways, will showcase our strong commitment in this area.”

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