NYLCV Supports DEC’s Proposal to Establish a Permitting Program for Safe Siting, Construction and Operation of Small LNG Facilities
(New York, NY) The New York League of Conservation Voters supports the Department of Environmental Conservation’s proposal to set criteria for the construction and operation of small liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in New York State.
It is time for New York to start taking measurable steps to reduce the state’s carbon footprint, and the adoption of LNG as a transport fuel is a proven strategy that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. DEC’s proposal is not only good for the environment, it is good for New York’s economy as well.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation sector alone accounts for 27 percent of overall greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Successfully mitigating these harmful emissions, therefore, requires the development and use of cleaner alternative fuels in the transportation sector.
One such fuel that is being used in other states for heavy-duty trucking is liquefied natural gas. LNG is rapidly becoming a popular transportation fuel providing many benefits, not least of which is a substantial reduction in criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gases.
Exhaust emissions from LNG-powered vehicles are much lower than those from gasoline and diesel vehicles. In gasoline vehicles, evaporative and fueling emissions account for a significant portion of the emissions associated with operation. LNG-powered vehicles, on the other hand, produce little or no evaporative emissions during fueling and use. Replacing a typical older in-use vehicle with a new LNG-powered vehicle provides the following reductions in exhaust emissions:
- Carbon Monoxide (CO) by 70-90%;
- Non-Methane Organic Gas (NMOG) by 50-75%;
- Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) by 75-95%; and
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2) by 20-30%.
In fact, LNG has been identified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as a low-carbon alternative to diesel use in truck. Moreover, unlike diesel fuel or gasoline, which when spilled will cause significant groundwater contamination, LNG, if spilled, rapidly vaporizes and dissipates into the air without any residual contamination.
Beyond the environmental benefits, the adoption of LNG as a transportation fuel is sound economic policy. Not only does greater use of domestic energy sources significantly cut our dependence of foreign oil and our exposure to volatile price shifts, but LNG also saves truck drivers from $1.00 to $2.00 per diesel gallon equivalent.
A number of major fleet operators across the country are making the switch to LNG as a transport fuel because of these cost savings and environmental benefits. Unfortunately, New York is the only state in the nation without a law or regulations on the siting of new LNG facilities. The approval of DEC’s proposal will allow vehicle fleets operating in New York State to make the switch to this cleaner fuel.
The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, policy making and political action organization that works to make environmental protection a top priority with elected officials, decision makers, and voters by evaluating incumbent performance and endorsing and electing environmental leaders to office in New York Stat
