Equitable Gas Company Awarded State Grant to Build Natural Gas Vehicle Refueling Station In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Equitable Gas Company was selected today by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to receive an Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) to assist in the construction of a regional Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station in Pittsburgh's Strip District.  The station is being constructed to provide cleaner burning natural gas to fleet vehicles of area governmental units and private businesses including Equitable Gas Company service vehicles.  The new CNG refueling station will also be available to the public to refuel privately owned natural gas vehicles.

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"Equitable Gas Company commends the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Secretary John Hanger for recognizing we have the expertise and experience to lead the region's efforts in the use and promotion of natural gas vehicles by selecting us for this prestigious grant," said M. Elise Hyland, President of Equitable Gas Company.  "The building of a CNG fueling station in Pittsburgh provides economic benefits to businesses because natural gas is a less expensive vehicle fuel compared to gasoline or diesel fuel.  The project also has a positive impact on the environment because natural gas vehicles emit 20 to 30 percent less green house gases when compared to gasoline or diesel vehicles.  Finally, the new Pittsburgh CNG fueling station promotes energy independence because natural gas is abundantly available right here in Pennsylvania."

The Equitable Gas Company AFIG application was supported by Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Action Housing, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Chesapeake Energy, FYDA Freightliner Pittsburgh, the Independent Oil and Gas Association of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities, the Port Authority of Allegheny County, and the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board.

The construction of the regional CNG fueling station, which is expected to take approximately nine months, will create more than two dozen jobs locally with additional job creation expected in the future as natural gas vehicles grow in use by local governments and authorities, private fleet carriers, and the general public.

Equitable Gas Company is a provider of safe and dependable natural gas service to approximately 275,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers located mainly in the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.  Its customer base also includes more than 200 municipalities in nine other counties in western Pennsylvania, 12 counties in central and northern West Virginia, and nine counties in eastern Kentucky.  Additional information about Equitable Gas can be obtained through its Web site at www.equitablegas.com.

SOURCE Equitable Gas Company