Negotiations continue between county and CNG station provider

“Things seem to be moving in the right direction”

by Olivia Lueckemeyer

Gunnison County manager Matthew Birnie says the plan to have a fully operational compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in Gunnison is still on track for fall completion now that the county has renegotiated its commitment terms with Trillium, the company that would operate the station.

Initially, Trillium had asked that local entities sign contracts promising to purchase and operate CNG vehicles; however, the county found it difficult to acquire those commitments without the guarantee of a fueling station. Now, Trillium has agreed to build the station based on the commitment that the county will use a certain amount of fuel over a decade.

“We know from a timing standpoint that there isn’t enough time to get folks to sign contracts,” Birnie explained. “So once we sign the agreement, the county is basically backstopping the amount of fuel Trillium needs over 10 years to make the station a success.”

As of now, the exact amount is still being negotiated with Trillium, but Birnie told the county commissioners at a July 5 board meeting that even if the county was unable to acquire commitments from local entities, he is confident the county’s CNG fleet alone will utilize the required amount of fuel.

“If push comes to shove, depending on technology and need, if we end up with just one or two big pieces of equipment, plus our small fleet, we think we will use the fuel over the 10-year period,” Birnie said. “But certainly our goal is to get more fleets on board and reduce that commitment and obligation and build that market more quickly.”

Other entities that have expressed interest in utilizing CNG vehicles include the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority, Western State Colorado University, Mountain Express, and the city of Gunnison.

“As far as other users, that will be really more about us trying to encourage folks to explore it and look at it,” Birnie said. “The focus of the agreement is bringing people on board.”

Birnie says the county has a lease “mostly worked out” with Western State Colorado University Foundation, the entity that owns the land on which the station would be situated, located off of Highway 50 adjacent to the Holiday Inn. Fortunately there is already a major high-pressure natural gas line on the property, so all that would be required to get the station up and running is the completion of site work and hooking up equipment and compressors.

“There is no real cost for bringing gas to the site, but basically [the county’s] piece of it will be getting electrical there, getting it permitted by the city, and getting parking.”

The station will be fairly minimal, will not be attached to a convenience store and may not even have a canopy, but will provide fueling services for both large and small CNG vehicles.

“There are a lot of moving parts, but generally we are moving in the right direction,” Birnie said. “Really, the big piece right now is nailing down an agreement with Trillium.”