SoCalGas President and CEO Dennis Arriola spoke at ACT Expo in Long Beach on the findings of a newly released technical paper that concluded only one solution exists to immediately transform the heavy-duty transportation sector to affordably cut smog-forming pollutants and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The solution is to deploy near-zero emission heavy-duty natural gas trucks fueled by increasing volumes of renewable natural gas, a game-changing combination.

Addressing North America's largest advanced clean vehicle event, Arriola will discuss how air pollution and climate change issues are crucial to California's public health, environment, and its economy; as well as to achieving state and federal environmental and policy goals. According to the 2016 American Lung Association State of the Air report, more than half the people in the United States live in counties that have unhealthful levels of ozone or particle pollution. The same report shows that 12 major California cities, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco, Bakersfield, and Fresno, were among the top 10 with the nation's worst air quality. San Diego was also among a total of 21 California cities named in the report.

"Air pollution affects all of us and remains one of the biggest public health threats, particularly for those living in disadvantaged communities near major transportation corridors. While our car-dependent culture is largely to blame, the reality is that heavy-duty diesel trucks are the biggest polluters in the transportation sector," said Arriola. "California needs every option available and near-zero emission, heavy-duty engines using renewable natural gas represent the best opportunity we have to get our cities off the 'most polluted right now.'"

The Game Changer technical paper released publicly this week explores the need and approaches to start deploying zero-emission and near-zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle technologies on a wide-scale basis in the United States. "GAME CHANGER: Next Generation Heavy‑Duty Natural Gas Engines Fueled by Renewable Natural Gas" was authored as a collaborative effort for multiple private and public sector organizations including SoCalGas.

The report compared four fuel-technology combinations to address these goals and concludes that there is only one pathway for heavy-duty trucking applications that meets the commercial feasibility and logistics tests to immediately begin this transformation. The full Game Changer technical paper and an executive summary are available for download at ngvgamechanger.com. 

This Game Changer paper was prepared with co-funding from the South Coast Air Quality Management District and co-sponsors that include Clean Energy Fuels, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the California Natural Gas Vehicle Partnership, the American Gas Association, and Agility Fuel Systems.

As a pioneer in supporting natural gas vehicle (NGV) technology, SoCalGas actively supports the development of the alternative fuel and NGV infrastructure, including compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling stations. SoCalGas also has an extensive NGV program to provide information, education, and support to customers that use, or would benefit from using, clean-burning natural gas as a transportation fuel.