News

November 6, 2003

Port Authority and Clean Energy Announce New CNG Fueling Facility at BP Connect Site at LaGuardia Airport
Natural Gas Supplied by Keyspan

-Queens, N.Y., Nov. 6, 2003 – The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and Clean Energy today opened a new CNG (compressed natural gas) fueling facility at the BP Connect convenience and service station in the borough of Queens at LaGuardia Airport near the Marine Air Terminal. Clean Energy owns and will operate the CNG fueling unit on the property and Keyspan Energy is the supplier of the natural gas. The location increases the accessibility of CNG to the New York metropolitan area’s taxi, fleet and shuttle vehicles.

"We are extremely pleased to offer a public CNG fueling station at LaGuardia Airport that will provide taxis, fleets and shuttles at the airport with a source for this cleaner-burning, environmentally friendlier fuel. The Port Authority has recognized the importance of alternative fuels for years, and presently has more than 350 clean-fueled vehicles in its fleet, including CNG-powered cars and trucks," said Anthony R. Coscia, Chairman of the Port Authority, which operates LaGuardia Airport.

"We applaud the cooperation of our partners at Clean Energy, BP and Keyspan for making this CNG fueling site possible. The Port Authority is proud of its record on environmental issues, particularly in the area of alternative fuels. The agency was recognized for its efforts when it received two of only 10 grants awarded nationwide by the FAA in 2001 to promote greater use of alternative fuel vehicles," said Joseph J. Seymour, Executive Director of the Port Authority.

As the primary investor in the CNG unit at the LaGuardia BP location, Clean Energy is the operator of the facility, which consists of a compressor and a pump island that fuels two vehicles simultaneously. "The CNG fueling unit at BP in LaGuardia represents an important step forward for the regional environment, for the growing number of taxis and fleets that look to an expanding CNG infrastructure, and for Clean Energy," said Clean Energy CEO Andrew Littlefair. "We look forward to further cooperation with the Port Authority and the city of New York to help increase the demand for CNG here, which will continue to help improve regional air quality."

As the host of the CNG unit at its BP Connect station at LaGuardia, BP continues in its commitment to a cleaner environment through such programs as its cleaner fuels, and energy alternatives such as solar power and natural gas.

"BP is proud to host this important new CNG fueling location," said BP Regional Vice President – Retail Operations, Jim Iacoponi. "This is the kind of partnership that will continue to make a difference for our air quality. BP is the largest producer and supplier of natural gas in North America, and this opening comes while BP is actively communicating directly with the nation’s thought leaders about energy alternatives. More CNG in New York, and related initiatives such as our low-sulfur Amoco Ultimate product introduction in New York, are making positive contributions to the environment."

Taxis and other fleets will be immediate beneficiaries of the new CNG fueling site. "On behalf of all the taxi and fleet owners and operators who drive these roads and breathe our air, the city of New York congratulates the partners in this important venture," said Matt Daus, Commissioner, Taxi and Limousine Commission. "A central location such as LaGuardia makes it easier to refuel and also will make decisions to convert vehicles to CNG that much easier."
As the utility provider of natural gas to the Clean Energy LaGuardia BP site, Keyspan continues its tradition of support for CNG. In recent years, the company has invested some $20 million in CNG refueling infrastructure throughout the New York metropolitan area, and currently owns and operates about 1300 CNG vehicles. "We are pleased to work with the Port Authority, BP, and Clean Energy on this project," said Keyspan Senior Vice President Jack Haran. "Convenient access to CNG refueling stations is central to the success of the CNG vehicle market in New York City. This station is another step in improving air quality in the region."

More than 20 fueling locations in and around the greater New York metropolitan area fuel the 6,000 or so vehicles that run on CNG. According to Clean Energy, natural gas vehicles (NGVs) emit less of some pollutants than traditional fuels vehicles, including carbon monoxide by 50 percent, nitrogen oxide (NOx), a major contributor to smog and ozone, by about 85 percent, particulate matter versus diesel powered vehicles by 10 percent, and greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 30 percent.

"BP recognizes the valuable contribution of this initiative to the environment," said Iacoponi. "BP’s commitment to improving the environment also includes bringing our low-sulfur Amoco Ultimate product to the New York metro area, well in advance of the federal mandate for low sulfur fuels. Use of low-sulfur Ultimate is the environmental equivalent of removing the NOx emissions of some 51,000 cars from New York’s roads on average each and every day year-round."

The new LaGuardia CNG site also is an extension of Clean Energy’s concerted effort to make the product more widely available at key airports nationally in order to serve the taxi and fleet populations that can most immediately benefit from CNG availability. Currently, Clean Energy owns and operates CNG locations at the Los Angeles International Airport, and at facilities near the Phoenix, Seattle-Tacoma, Oakland, Tucson, Dallas, San Francisco, Denver, Palm Springs and Orange County, Calif. airports.

In order to create a greater incentive for the New York area’s CNG taxis to fuel at the Clean Energy BP LaGuardia site, Clean Energy will be offering free fill-ups for all CNG vehicles from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Nov. 6.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates some of the busiest and most important transportation links in its region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports; the George Washington Bridge; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH rapid-transit system; the Downtown Manhattan Heliport; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. The Port Authority is financially self-supporting and receives no tax revenue from either state.

Clean Energy (formerly ENRG) is the largest provider of vehicular natural gas (CNG and LNG) in North America with a broad customer base in the refuse, transit, shuttle, taxi, police, intrastate and interstate trucking, airport and municipal fleet markets with tens of thousands of vehicles fueling at more than 150 locations in the United States and Canada. Customers include Los Angeles International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, SuperShuttle, SunLine Transit, Foothill Transit, Waste Management, Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport, SYSCO Foods, Ft. Worth Transportation Agency, Denver International Airport, Denver RTD, MTDB of San Diego, LaGuardia Airport, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the US Navy. The company partners with Ford Motor Company to help expand its market share of natural gas vehicles. Clean Energy is a private company whose major shareholders include Boone Pickens, Terasen Inc. (formerly BC Gas Inc., TSE: TER.TO), Westport Innovations Inc. (TSE: WPT.TO) and Perseus 2000 LLC. Information at: www.cleanenergyfuels.com.

BP, the largest oil and gas producer in the U.S., is an international company involved in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas; refining, marketing, supply and transportation of hydrocarbons; and manufacturing and marketing of petrochemicals, and solar and gas-fired power generation.

Neil Geary – BP (914) 525-7620
Ed Yutkowitz – Keyspan (718) 403-2523
Pasquale DiFulco – Port Authority (212) 435-7777