Washington Gas Light Company announced the opening of the second in a series of three local area public compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations to power natural gas vehicles (NGVs).
The Forestville station, located in the 7600 block of Penn Belt Drive in District Heights, is owned by Washington Gas and will be operated and maintained by Trillium CNG, a company with a 20-year history providing leading CNG fueling services.
Another CNG station, also a partnership between Washington Gas and Trillium CNG, recently opened in Frederick, Md., and a third station is planned for the District of Columbia.
CNG is a clean alternative to gasoline and diesel fuels, and generates significantly fewer emissions than traditional fuels.
The Forestville compressed natural gas station is a key step in expanding the availability of clean and efficient CNG to both private vehicles and commercial fleets, said Lou Hutchinson, vice president and chief revenue officer of WGL Holdings.
According to industry sources, there are roughly 153,000 natural gas vehicles throughout the U.S. and 15.2 million globally. Approximately 50 different manufacturers in the U.S. produce 100 models of light, medium, and heavy-duty natural gas vehicles and engines.
Natural gas supplies are also abundant and domestic with more than 99 percent consumed in the U.S. coming from North American supplies.
The use of natural gas can result in substantially lowering hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, natural gas vehicles emit virtually no carcinogenic particulate matter, a leading cause of respiratory diseases and poor air quality, the company said.
Rajani Baburajan