Greenhouse Gas Reduction Focus Of Banff-Calgary Initiative

On June 4 of this year, ATCO Gas, along with Climate Change Central and the Town of Banff, launched eMission Banff, a major project targeted at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 25 per cent.

Spearheaded by ATCO Gas, eMission Banff partners Climate Change Central, Natural Resources Canada and commercial tour operators traveling from Calgary to Banff and within Canada's first National Park.

eMission Banff will initially see the conversion of more than 60 commercial vehicles - mainly large passenger vans and shuttle buses - to run on natural gas, significantly reducing emissions during the more than four million kilometres driven each year.

Also included in the project:

The Town of Banff intends to convert its public transit buses from diesel fuel to natural gas.

ATCO Gas has built a new Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) refueling facility in Banff to complement one near the Calgary International Airport.

ATCO Gas will establish a conversion facility for on-going maintenance in the Bow Valley as the company works to increase the total number of commercial vehicles switching to natural gas.

Climate Change Central will contribute $85,000 in funding, providing grants of $2,000 to tour firms ordering a new natural gas powered vehicle and $1,000 to companies retrofitting existing vans and buses.

Climate Change Central's funding complements Natural Resources Canada's existing Natural Gas Vehicle program which will provide $2,000 for factory natural-gas powered vehicles, $500 for retrofits and support the refueling station with a $12,500 contribution.

To date, at least six major tour companies using Canada's oldest National Park or regularly travelling the Trans-Canada Highway between Calgary and Banff have signed to switch to cleaner natural gas. These include the Banff Airporter, Calgary Guide Services, JTB International, the Canmore Sheraton, Brewsters and Laidlaw Transit.

The Banff Natural Gas Refueling Station is the first publicly accessible NGV refueling station in a national park.

The addition of the refueling station in Banff, expands the current NGV infrastructure throughout Alberta, which already includes 13 stations located in Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary and Lethbridge.

The use of natural gas reduces carbon dioxide by 26 per cent and provides significant reductions in nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and other smog forming pollutants coming from vehicle tailpipes.

The reduction in conventional and greenhouse gas emissions makes natural gas vehicles the most environmentally responsible way to provide motorized transportation.

Currently, about 1.5 million natural gas vehicles are in operation worldwide. Canada has about 25,000 NGVs.

Nearly every type of vehicle, pickup trucks, cargo vans, taxis, police cars, transit buses, shuttle buses, passenger cars, forklifts and ice resurfacers can operate on natural gas.

The major automakers have added natural gas-dedicated vehicles to their line-up. As well, existing vehicles can be converted easily and reliably, at minimal costs to operate on natural gas or as bi-fuel vehicles.

Natural gas is available at approximately one half of the cost of gasoline or diesel and two thirds of the cost of propane. The current retail price of natural gas is approximately $0.319 per litre of gasoline equivalent.

Climate Change Central is a private-public partnership established in 1999 to serve as a catalyst for, and coordinator of, activities by individuals, businesses, institutions and governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Alberta.

ATCO Gas, with 350 vehicles fueled by clean burning natural gas, is part of the ATCO Group of Companies, an Alberta based corporation with a worldwide organization of companies employing more than 6,000 persons engaged in Logistics and Energy Services, Power Generation, Industrials, Utilities, and Technologies. More information regarding ATCO can be found at www.ATCO.com.

Graeme Feltham, Senior Engineer
ATCO Gas
(780) 420-7292
www.atcogas.com