Gov. Tom Corbett Tuesday visited Aqua America Inc.’s compressed Natural Gas fueling station in Springfield, Delaware County, to see the company’s growing fleet of vehicles that use CNG, a clean-burning fuel alternative, and discussed how revenues from Act 13 have been benefitting local communities and protecting the environment.
“We are building a stronger Pennsylvania by leveraging our energy resources to create jobs for working families, grow our economy, and make sure we are protecting our environment for generations to come,” Corbett said. ”Act 13 not only strengthened oversight of the drilling industry, it allows us to continue growing jobs while cleaning the air at the same time.”
In March 2014, Aqua was awarded a $225,000 Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) grant from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Act 13 fund. The grant is being used to fund the purchase of nine additional CNG-fueled dump trucks.
“By partnering with companies like Aqua, we are helping companies reduce their environmental impacts and investing a strong economic future for Pennsylvania,” Corbett said.
Aqua intends to use these CNG dump trucks throughout Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties as they provide construction services for Aqua customers.
“At Aqua, we led the charge with a small pilot program to ensure efficiency, safety and reliability because we believe this is the right thing to do,” Aqua Chairman and CEO Nick DeBenedictis said. “With the assistance of grants like those the governor will speak about today, we continue to add new vehicles to our fleet and plan to expand our van and dump truck fleet of CNG-fueled vehicles in Pennsylvania within the next five years. We thank Governor Corbett for his strong commitment to cleaner fuel alternatives.”
Last month, Gov. Corbett awarded $7.7 million in Act 13 funding to 25 companies and organizations making the switch to natural gas for their heavy-duty fleet vehicles. Aqua provides water and wastewater services to approximately 3 million people in 10 states. Aqua’s Pennsylvania operations involve more than 600 employees who provide water and wastewater services to 1.4 million people in 31 counties.
Act 13 of 2012 was the single largest step in modernizing the state’s Oil and Gas Law in nearly three decades. It increased protections for private water supplies, empowered the Department of Environmental Protection to issue larger fines and included one of the most progressive hydraulic fracturing fluid disclosure laws in the nation.
The Act also authorized DEP to develop and implement the Natural Gas Energy Development program, funded by impact fees paid by natural gas operators. The program distributes up to $20 million in grants over three years, to help pay for the incremental purchase and conversion costs of heavy-duty natural gas fleet vehicles.
Since 2012, Act 13 impact fee revenues have surpassed $630 million.
For more information, visit DEP’s Natural Gas Vehicle Program webpage.