Attendees of the groundbreaking ceremony view vehicles that run on CNG.  Photo courtesy of Marion County.

Attendees of the groundbreaking ceremony view vehicles that run on CNG. Photo courtesy of Marion County.

Marion County, Fla., officials broke ground for a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility on April 9. The CNG fuel station will support the County’s fleet and private commercial fleets, and will also be open to the public. The station is expected to open August 2013.

The County is converting a portion of its fleet to run on CNG.

“The most advantageous vehicles in the Marion County fleet for CNG integration are high fuel usage: roll-offs, ambulances, cars, and pickups,” Fleet Mangement Director John King wrote via e-mail. “The Marion County Board of County Commissioners has approved for purchase 20 new CNG-fueled vehicles this fiscal year. The county’s replacement strategy is to purchase approximately 5% CNG-fueled vehicles per year as older vehicles reach their life cycle and are retired from the fleet.”

Officials estimate fuel savings for each vehicle will be between $2,500 and $15,000.

County commissioners, CNG facility operators and staff associated with the project stand in front of one of the county’s ambulances. The ambulances are planned for conversion to CNG.  Photo courtesy of Marion County.

County commissioners, CNG facility operators and staff associated with the project stand in front of one of the county’s ambulances. The ambulances are planned for conversion to CNG. Photo courtesy of Marion County.

Fleet Department Director John King explains the county’s CNG use while looking at a CNG-fueled vehicle.  Photo courtesy of Marion County.

Fleet Department Director John King explains the county’s CNG use while looking at a CNG-fueled vehicle. Photo courtesy of Marion County.

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