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Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) is continuing with its pledge to add about 1,000 new natural gas-powered trucks to its fleet over the next five years. The trucks are part of the utility’s “green” fleet replacement program that will have residential energy service technicians driving the message that natural gas is the fuel of choice for the road.

The utility has been purchasing new natural gas-powered trucks from original equipment manufacturers as well as custom-built natural gas vehicles through a collaborative effort with local Southern California companies. Currently, SoCalGas has over 1,000 natural gas vehicles in its fleet.

Last year, the first of 50 custom-built 2011 Chevrolet Silverado trucks were delivered for use in Southern California. Continuing their work with Torrance-based Landi Renzo USA, Pacific Truck Equipment and Rotolo Chevrolet, 54 additional 2012 trucks equipped with Landi Renzo/Baytech California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved compressed natural gas fuel systems will be delivered this year.

Natural gas vehicles are a real transportation solution today,” said Hal D. Snyder, vice president of customer solutions at SoCalGas. “Natural gas is the ideal fuel for transportation because it’s abundant, affordable, clean and produced domestically, and can serve all segments of the transportation industry. As we work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our fleet, we encourage the automakers and after-market companies to produce natural gas vehicles, an effort that will result in significant air quality and cost benefits to customers and the region.”

Independent sources estimate the U.S. supply of natural gas will last more than a century. Compressed natural gas currently costs just over $2 per gasoline gallon equivalent, offering the public significant fuel costs savings. Another major benefit of compressed natural gas as a transportation fuel is reduced tailpipe emissions. When compared to a gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicle, a natural gas vehicle realizes reduced carbon dioxide, or CO2, emissions, reduced nitrogen oxides, or NOx, and carbon monoxide, or CO, emissions, and particulate matter emissions are also reduced.

“SoCalGas’ continued commitment to the use of cleaner, domestically produced, and less expensive fuel here in Southern California, should be applauded” said Andrea Landi, President of Landi Renzo USA. “We are pleased to have been selected for a second year as SoCalGas’ partner in this effort.”

Southern California currently has nearly 300 compressed natural gas fueling stations serving more than 17,000 natural gas-powered vehicles. SoCalGas plans to expand over the next few years all of its 13 company-owned public-access compressed natural gas stations. At its Riverside refueling station, SoCalGas is field testing a new modular compressed natural gas “fueling station in a box” technology that takes 20 percent less space and can be installed faster than traditional facilities with separate components installed on the site, thereby offering the potential to significantly reduce capital cost and construction time.

SoCalGas also is a member of a national collaborative, called “Drive Natural Gas Initiative,” made up of North American natural gas utilities and producers focused on advancing natural gas as a fuel for all sectors of transportation, including cars, trucks, buses, and marine and mining equipment.