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DNR Grants 1.25 Million to Fund Lafayette CNG Fueling Station

Construction to begin in September 2011

BATON ROUGE – Today, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Scott A. Angelle announced that DNR has provided 1.25 million in funding to the Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) for the purpose of installing a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in Lafayette.

“Lafayette Consolidated Government has shown great leadership in its plans to make CNG more widely available as a transportation fuel for its citizens,” said Angelle.  “I applaud LCG for their efforts to encourage the use of a fuel that is clean, abundant, domestic and creates American jobs.”

“I would also like to thank Senators Michot, Guillory and Perry as well as Representatives Robideaux, Hardy, Landry and Cortez for their strong support of this program and helping to lower energy costs,” added Angelle. “The Lafayette delegation certainly understands energy and how important it is to consumers. I appreciate their constant engagement on such an important issue."

DNR funding for the project is provided by a grant from the DNR Empower Louisiana Transportation Efficiency & Alternative Fuels Program.  The total estimated cost of the project is $2.53 million.

Construction on the fueling station is scheduled to commence in September 2011 and be completed late spring 2012.

The fueling station, to be located at 1515 East University Avenue, will feature three dispensers with two transit hoses with four hoses available for the general public.  Each dispenser will feature a card reader that accepts credit cards and fleet cards. 

Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel said, “Lafayette Consolidated Government is grateful for the funding provided by DNR to develop our new CNG fueling station.  The station will help make Lafayette a leader in providing alternative fueling options to our citizens.  Through CNG, we can be more responsible to our citizens by saving money and supporting an industry that is so important to our state. We have worked with some great partners to get this far-- including the State of Louisiana-- and we look forward to realizing the potential of this public-private partnership in the long term.  In addition, we see great opportunities for expansion with public entities such as our School Board and our University, as well as members of the private sector."

LCG is currently reviewing bid proposals and expects to announce the recipient of the contract in the next two weeks.

Additional funding for the project is provided by allocations from the Louisiana State Legislature and the Federal Transit Administration.