The awards are provided through the Energy Commission's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, created by Assembly Bill 118. The program provides approximately $100 million annually to encourage the development and use of alternative and renewable fuels and new vehicle technologies. By leveraging outside funding, many of these projects also attract additional investment in clean energy technology.

Among many others, the award recipients –specially focused on NGV sector- are:

Clean World Partners, LLC, will receive $6 million to increase the Sacramento BioRefinery's capacity from 25 tons to 100 tons a day. This will divert 100 tons per day of food waste from landfills and use that to produce enough renewable natural gas to replace 566,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

Sysco Food Services of Los Angeles, Inc., based in Walnut, in eastern Los Angeles County, will receive $600,000 to develop a 24-hour publicly accessible liquefied natural gas station in Riverside. This station along the I-215 corridor in the Inland Empire will serve vehicles moving goods at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and will complement clean truck programs at the ports.

Atlas Disposal Industries will receive $300,000 to construct a new natural gas fueling station, using pipeline and renewable natural gas, at the Sacramento South Area Transfer Station on Fruitridge Road. Atlas is a waste and recycling hauler in the Sacramento region with a fleet of more than 60 trucks, 14 of which use compressed natural gas. The station will be open to private, public and school fleet operators, and is expected to serve about 155 vehicles a day, including 20 trucks.

Bear Valley Unified School District will receive $300,000 to install a new compressed natural gas fueling station to service the district's existing natural-gas fueled school buses and to allow the district to acquire more natural-gas fueled buses. Bear Valley Unified School District is in Big Bear Lake, in San Bernardino County.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District will receive $217,000 to establish a compressed natural gas fueling station in the city of Murrieta in the Riverside area, near Interstate 15 and Interstate 215, along which many goods are hauled. This area has limited natural gas fueling options, creating a barrier for increased use of natural gas-fueled vehicles, including heavy-duty trucks. It is projected that this single station will displace 184,569 gallons of imported diesel fuel per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 24/7 publicly accessible station will be installed at a Southern California Gas Company facility.

The City of Riverside will receive $200,000 to construct a compressed natural gas station at the city's water quality control plant. The station will be used for city fleet vehicles and also be accessible to the public 24/7. Currently, the city has just one publicly accessible station for natural gas fueling. It is frequently so busy that school buses line up in the street waiting to fuel.

Source: The California Energy Commission.