Fargo planning move to natural gas in city vehicles
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Fargo city officials are developing a plan to burn natural gas in city vehicles, primarily buses and garbage trucks.
Fargo City Commissioner Mike Williams said natural gas has many advantages over diesel fuel.
"It burns cleaner, it has more power and it's cheaper. So that's a good combination," Williams said.
Natural gas is more than $2 a gallon cheaper than diesel. But there's one big problem. There's no place to fill vehicles with natural gas.
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"You need to basically create a market. Because right now there's no vehicles here because there's no fueling stations here," Williams said.
Williams said a fueling station costs as much as $1 million.
"But when you're spending $4 million a year on fuel, if you save 50-percent on that you get your payback pretty quick," Williams said.
Williams said the city could also allow private businesses to use the natural gas fueling station.
The city commission will consider the plan late this year.
