MINEOLA, NY - Nassau County has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the purchase of forty environmentally-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) dump trucks for the Department of Public Works, according to a county statement.

The grant totals $4,325,001 and comes as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to aid local schools, governments, and private business in purchasing clean fuel and alternative vehicles and related infrastructure.

Nassau County's application was submitted in partnership with the Long Island Regional Energy Collaborative through the Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition (GLICCC). GLICCC was awarded a grant of $14.99 million to deploy five alternative fuel stations and 209 alternative fuel vehicles in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The Department of Energy estimates the program will displace 775,000 gallons of petroleum annually. The Long Island Regional Energy Collaborative consists of Nassau County, Suffolk County, Town of Hempstead, Town of Oyster Bay, Town of Huntington, Village of East Rockaway, Total Collection Services, Garofalo Carting Services, National Grid, and Engineered Energy Solutions.

Nassau County's "Green Innovation in Public Works" model includes the renovation of the Public Works Department's Hempstead Garage to meet LEED building standards. New environmental initiatives for the garage include green procurement, sustainable storm water management practices, and renewable energy systems to help power the facility.

Nassau already controls the largest municipal fleet of "alternative fuel-vehicles" in the State, outside of New York City which currently comprises nearly 100 compressed natural gas, electric hybrid, ethanol flex fuel and electric light duty vehicles, and the country's largest 100-percent compressed natural gas bus fleet (330 CNG buses with a ridership of over 32 million) outside of California. Plans are in place to replace the county's entire light duty fleet with alternative fuel and fuel-efficient vehicles. These efforts are part of Nassau County's comprehensive and far-reaching Energy Action Plan to conserve energy, improve air quality, reduce foreign oil dependency, and save taxpayer dollars.