Jackson County officials consider propane as fuel - 10/20/09
Jackson County officials consider propane as fuelÂ
PASCAGOULA A local gas company told the Jackson County Board of Supervisors on Monday that using alternative fuel in county vehicles could save thousands of dollars and extend the life of the equipment.
Ocean Springs-based Blossman Gas told the board that converting the vehicles to be fueled by both propane and gasoline could substantially reduce costs and extend the vehicles' lives by up to two years.
Based on mileage reports for three road department trucks, which collectively drove about 42,000 miles in a year, the county paid about $7,854 for gasoline, said Blossman's Mark Denton.
Using propane as a fuel source would have cost around $6,310, he said, but when a 50-cent-per-gallon federal tax credit is included, the figure drops to $4,069.
Outfitting each vehicle with a conversion kit would cost $5,800 per vehicle, he said, so the kits would pay for themselves in about 18 months using those three examples.
They would pay for themselves much faster if applied to vehicles that drive substantially more, such as sheriff's cars, he said.
"I see some real benefits to this," Supervisor Manly Barton said. "I'd be willing to support trying it, but I'm concerned about the initial costs."
Denton said he will continue to look for and alert the county if federal grant opportunities arise to help pay for the outfitting costs.
Blossman will present the board with additional savings estimates within the next few weeks, Barton said, which will help identify which high-mileage vehicles would benefit most from the propane kits.
Supervisors will then decide if they want to outfit some of the cars for a trial, he said.
