CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Delegates,
media and other visitors in Charlotte this week for the 2012 Democratic
National Convention will get around town on shuttle buses fueled by
clean, affordable, American natural gas, thanks to a partnership
between Piedmont Natural Gas (NYSE: PNY) and America's Natural Gas
Alliance (ANGA).
Piedmont Natural Gas, which serves more than 1 million customers
in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, will provide the compressed natural
gas (CNG) to fuel 12 buses that will be used to provide
transportation to convention-goers for the Sept. 4-6 event.
"Piedmont Natural Gas is pleased to partner with ANGA to
showcase the benefits of natural gas vehicles, including
substantial cost savings over other transportation fuels and
significant environmental benefits," said Jane Lewis-Raymond, senior vice president of
Piedmont Natural Gas. "As part of our broader commitment to
sustainability, Piedmont is
diligently working to promote the use of natural gas vehicles
throughout our service territory. We are collaborating with both
private- and public sector fleet operators, expanding the number of
refueling stations available to natural gas vehicles and converting
our own fleet of service vehicles to natural gas."
With the discovery of vast supplies of American natural gas from
shale deposits driving down the wholesale price of natural gas, a
CNG-fueled shuttle bus like the ones being used in Charlotte this week can be operated at a cost
savings of $1.69 per diesel gallon
equivalent. That's how much less it would cost for a natural gas
bus to travel the same distance a conventional bus could travel on
one gallon of diesel fuel.
"Residential, commercial and industrial customers are also
reaping great benefits from these new supplies by converting to
natural gas for heating, hot water, power generation and other
needs, " Lewis-Raymond said. "In the process, natural gas is
creating American jobs and increasing U.S. energy security, which
is great news for everyone."
ANGA also provided CNG-fueled buses for the Republican National
Convention in Tampa Aug. 28-30 under a similar partnership with TECO
Energy Inc., a Tampa-based energy
services company.
About Piedmont Natural Gas
Piedmont Natural Gas is an energy services company
primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to more than
one million residential, commercial and industrial utility
customers in North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee, including 53,000 customers served
by municipalities who are wholesale customers. Our subsidiaries are
invested in joint venture, energy-related businesses, including
unregulated retail natural gas marketing, interstate natural gas
storage and intrastate natural gas transportation. More information
about Piedmont Natural Gas is available at
http://www.piedmontng.com.
SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas