The City of Trussville, Trussville Utilities, and McCullough Oil Co. marked the official opening of a new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station at the Happy Hollow Chevron Station at 5347 Deerfoot Parkway.

The fueling station is the result of a public-private partnership. The Trussville Utilities Board loaned McCullough Oil $1.08 million for the project and will be repaid with part of the proceeds of CNG sales.

Trussville already uses CNG to operate 40 city vehicles, from police cruisers to dump trucks. Those vehicles will fuel up at Happy Hollow Chevron, and the public also can use the dispenser.

“This year, with our current fleet of CNG vehicles, the city will save $100,000 or more in fuel costs,” Trussville Mayor Gene Melton said. “Next year, as we convert more vehicles, we could see those savings double.”

Melton also said the larger community benefits from a cleaner-burning fuel that comes from domestic sources. “It’s a benefit all the way around,” Melton said.

The Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, which promotes the use of a wide range of alternative fuels, provided support for the CNG project through grants from the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

Mark Bentley, executive director of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, said the new CNG fueling station near Interstate 59 is an example of the infrastructure work necessary to ensure the growth of alternative fuels.

“More and more people and businesses want to use fuels that save money and reduce our reliance on foreign oil,” Bentley said. “But, access and convenience are part of the equation. Trussville and McCullough Oil are helping to clear the way for people to use alternative fuels.”

The Trussville fueling station is one of five Alabama sites dispensing CNG to the public. Other locations are at the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority in Birmingham, the Alagasco operation centers in Tuscaloosa and Pell City, and a Chevron station in Evergreen.