The State of Washington will soon be home to one of the nation’s largest privately funded propane autogas public refueling networks, and the single largest installation of alternative-fuel infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest.

Eleven 24-hour public refueling stations in the Puget Sound region are funded and spearheaded by Blue Star Gas. The public propane autogas refueling sites will service the Pacific Northwest’s growing population of alternative fuel vehicles. The first station came online in October 2011, and all 11 stations will be in service by July.

As local companies convert their fleets to propane autogas, Blue Star Gas took initiative to install public refueling sites in key locations to better serve its clients, according to Blue Star Gas Director of Government Relations Darren Engle.

“The Pacific Northwest has always been known as an environmental leader, and our clients’ business models reflect that by leading the way in reducing emissions with a green, clean-burning fuel like propane autogas,” Engle said. “As more companies and citizens convert to alternative fuels, Blue Star Gas is providing the resources they need to make the transition easy and simple.”

The refueling stations, similar in operation to traditional gasoline filling stations, will serve more than 400 customer vehicles in the Pacific Northwest. These customers can gain access to the pumps 24/7 via a card-reading system, which also enables users to track fuel savings and miles-per-gallon usage.

Fleets in the area can contact a local Blue Star Gas fleet specialist for access to the stations and training on safe refueling.