Representatives of The Gas Connection, which develops compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations, will visit Durango on Monday through Wednesday to discuss the advancement of alternative fuels and particularly compressed natural gas with whomever is interested.
The visit is made through a Refuel Colorado grant to the Four Corners Office of Resource Efficiency (4CORE).
“It’s the chicken and egg problem,” said 4CORE executive director Gregg Dubit. “People don’t buy CNG-fueled vehicles because there’s no place to fill up, and no one installs a CNG station because there’s no demand.”
Moab, Utah, a 2½-hour drive, is the closest place to find a CNG station, Dubit said.
But times are changing for alternative fuels, Dubit said. Durango is seeing more electric vehicles since the city installed a charging station at the Durango Intermodal Transit Center.
PowerFuel, a company that modified Ford light trucks to run on CNG as well as gasoline, has dropped off a loaner vehicle in La Plata County, Dubit said.
It’s currently being test driven by CrossFire, an gas and oil support-service company, Dubit said. But he wants to offer it to La Plata County and city of Durango fleet managers.
“Fleet managers, vehicle modifiers and CNG station developers are beginning to see a potential in CNG,” Dubit said. “I’ve driven a CNG-powered vehicle and I couldn’t tell the difference.”
Information on The Gas Connection is available at http://cngconnection.com. Dubit can be reached at 259-1916.
daler@durangoherald.com
