Virginia Signs Natural Gas Agreement With Clean Energy

Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell (R) signed an agreement with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to allow state and local entities to buy compressed natural gas from Clean Energy for their vehicle fleets.

Government bodies will be able to access special pricing for CNG fuel and services via the state’s procurement website, Clean Energy said in a statement.

Clean Energy said it will build CNG fueling stations and provide vehicle conversions for state and local Virginia governments seeking to use natural gas as a transportation fuel.

“Not only is this good for the government and the environment, but ultimately, it will be good for consumers and the economy as well,” said McDonnell, who signed the agreement Tuesday in Richmond, Va.

“The infrastructure created through this effort will be available to fuel passenger vehicles and other commercial fleets . . . [and] reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” he said in a statement.

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ATA Urges DOT to Reject Virginia I-95 Toll

The American Trucking Associations is urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to reject an application by the Commonwealth of Virginia to toll I-95.

Tolling the interstate will be bad for trucking companies and consumers who will bear the increased transportation costs, ATA said in a release.

“I firmly believe that the best way to fund our roads and bridges is through the fuel tax – which directs nearly 99 cents of every dollar collected back into the asphalt, steel and concrete – and not tolls,” said Bill Graves, president of American Trucking Associations in a statement. “Under VDOT’s plan, in the first six years the Commonwealth would spend $95 million just to be able to collect your tax dollars and that is just wrong.”

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Virginia Counties, Cities Oppose I-95 Tolls

Sixteen local governments on or near Interstate 95 in Virginia have come out in opposition to the state’s plan to impose tolls on I-95, a group opposing the plan said.

Trucking interests and business groups formed Virginia Toll Free I-95 to push back against the proposed Virginia tolls, which would cost truckers $12 each way on the East Coast’s primary north-south corridor.

Among the opponents are the cities of Hopewell, Petersburg and Emporia, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Hanover, Prince George and Spotsylvania counties, and numerous towns, according to Virginia Toll Free I-95.

Regional planning organizations representing some of the most populous areas along I-95 also have voiced opposition.

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Port of Virginia Signs Up Drivers for Chassis Rental Program

The Port of Virginia is signing up truck drivers for an online chassis rental program as ocean carriers move away from providing the equipment.

The voluntary program will be fully operational in October, according to the Port of Virginia and the site will manage chassis rental functions and integrate with an insurance compliance clearinghouse.

Currently ship lines are the only providers of chassis, the program is designed to transition away from that model towards third-party ownership.

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