By Joseph Bebon, NGT News.

On Tuesday, San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer and City Councilmember Chris Cate announced the city has taken a major step toward switching its entire fleet of refuse and recycling collection trucks from diesel fuel to compressed natural gas (CNG).

“We all know that vehicle emissions are the leading cause of air pollution, so the city is leading by example,” said Faulconer. “By transitioning to compressed natural gas, we’re making our fleet greener and saving money at the same time. This is a win-win for San Diegans and will help us reach our climate action goals.”

Last month, the city completed the second phase of construction on a new CNG fueling station at the Environmental Services Department’s Collection Services facility on Miramar Place. There are now 13 operational fueling posts that can each fill up two CNG vehicles simultaneously. The city currently has 20 CNG vehicles operating in its fleet that have already begun to use the new station.

Once fully built out, the station will allow the city to replace its existing fleet of 131 diesel-powered collection vehicles with CNG vehicles by 2022 – one of the goals in Faulconer’s Climate Action Plan – and reduce the amount of diesel fuel consumed by more than 1 million gallons annually.