County Will Build 4th Alternative Fuel Station for Public

Ventura County businesses and government agencies now have more reason to get pumped up about using compressed natural gas vehicles.

In a continuing effort to promote the use of cars, vans and trucks that run on the cleaner-burning fuel, the state Energy Commission has approved a $100,000 grant to build a natural gas fueling station for the public in Camarillo.

The station will be the fourth such public fueling facility in Ventura County. Oxnard houses two pumps, and there is one in Thousand Oaks.

The new pump will be in the GTE fleet services yard, at 201 Flynn Road. Construction will begin in October. It will be operated by Pickens Fuel Corp. of Seal Beach.

Ventura County was one of four in the state to receive a portion of a $306,000 grant to build 24-hour public stations. The other stations will be located in Napa, Fresno and Tehachapi counties.

Currently, there are a handful of natural gas fueling stations for private companies throughout the county, said Jerry Mason, an air quality engineer for the county Air Pollution Control District, which applied for the grant.

Mason said he hoped that another public alternative-fuel station would encourage local schools, cities and residents to use natural-gas vehicles.

But he expected more public agencies, rather than individuals, would use the new facility. The cost of buying a van or pickup that runs with the cleaner-burning fuel is about $4,250 more than identical vehicles with diesel engines.

“What this means, is that we are going to have cleaner air,” Mason said, adding that replacing a diesel bus with one powered by natural gas is equivalent to removing 35 cars from the road. “These are high-mileage vehicles that will be less polluting.”

The fuel costs about $1.04 for the equivalent of a gallon.

Mason could not say exactly how many alternative-fuel vehicles are in use in Ventura County. But he said 43--or 61%--of the 70 transit buses based in the county are powered by compressed natural gas. He added that in two years, that proportion is expected to grow to 79%, when new buses currently on order are delivered.

The GTE headquarters in Camarillo owns 30 such buses or vans, and Mason said he hopes that number will grow after the fuel station is built.