Faced with a need to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, the California Department of Transportation, Southern California Gas Company and the Chrysler Corporation developed the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Fueled Vehicle Program.

This program is the first of its kind in the United States and has successfully encouraged public agencies to convert their vehicle fleets to alternative fuel by providing seed money for local agencies to purchase CNG commuter vans. The program currently removes 1,000 commuter trips daily from local highways in the San Bernadino and Riverside counties, cutting hydrocarbon emission into the atmosphere by 3.7 tons a year.

CNG will be readily available in the United States for the next 70 years and currently costs about .85 cents to an equivalent gallon of gasoline – a substantial saving. CNG use decreases the United States' dependence on foreign oil reserves, thus reducing the nation's balance of payments deficit. CNG also increases engine life, does not pollute the ground water and is nontoxic.

CREDITS...

• California Department of Transportation, District 8
• The Southern California Gas Company
• Chrysler Corporation
• The County of San Bernadino
• The County of Riverside

JURY COMMENTS...

State and county transportation officials, the Southern California Gas Company and the Chrysler Corporation have created a unique cooperative program to promote the use of commuter mini-vans with alternative fuels. The objective is to substantially reduce automobile congestion and remove 9.6 tons of hydrocarbon a year from the air. The program is well on its way to achieving these laudable objectives.