SEAL BEACH, CA - The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Governing Board voted Sept. 11 to approve funding for 483 natural gas-fueled [liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG)] trucks to replace old diesel trucks serving the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, according to Clean Energy Fuels Corp.

The new trucks are expected to use approximately 3.6 million gasoline gallon equivalents of natural gas fuel per year once fully deployed.

SCAQMD is administering the truck-funding program for the California Air Resources Board and the Ports. Funding for the program is provided by the Proposition 1B Program of the state of California and by the SCAQMD and the Ports. The program supports the Ports' Clean Air Action Plan, which seeks to replace the fleet of older diesel trucks servicing the Ports with new clean trucks.

Earlier funding has replaced approximately 400 old diesel trucks with new natural-gas-fueled trucks. The natural-gas-fueled trucks reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, toxic diesel particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides.

"This funding increases the deployment of natural gas trucks in the Southern California goods movement corridors emanating from the Ports, helping clean the air and improve public health throughout the region," said Andrew Littlefair, Clean Energy president and CEO. "We are working to support these goals by expanding the convenient supply of natural gas fuel for the new trucks."

Clean Energy recently opened the world's largest public-access LNG truck fueling station at the Port of Long Beach to serve the growing fleets of natural gas-fueled trucks in the area.