UPS Plans to Fuel Its Shipping Fleet in Part With Dallas' Trash

UPS is making what it describes as the largest purchase of renewable natural gas in U.S. history to fuel its shipping fleet.The shipping company is working with Clean Energy Fuels Corp., co-founded by Dallas oil and gas mogul T. Boone Pickens, to buy the equivalent of 170 million gallons of renewable natural gas to power its national fleet over the next seven years. The move is part of the company's mission to increase its consumption of alternative fuel to 40% by 2025."We would've done it sooner had the supply been there," said UPS fleet procurement director Mike Casteel. UPS has been working on the infrastructure behind the renewable energy effort for years, investing more than $1 billion since 2009, according to the company.Natural gas bought from Clean Energy Fuels is considered renewable because it's sourced from organic waste found in places like landfills, rather than traditional natural gas fields found in regions like West Texas.With its switch from diesel fuel to renewable natural gas, UPS said it expects a "significant reduction" in greenhouse gas emissions amounting to more than 1 million metric tons over the span of the agreement."We're excited to deliver [renewable natural gas] to a partner with a substantial alternative fleet and an ongoing commitment to ... a clean, economical alternative," Clean Energy's vice president and general manager Tyler Henn said in a statement.  Continue reading...