Christian County has taken its first step toward a compressed natural gas venture in Hopkinsville. The proposed project would be a filling station for natural gas-fueled vehicles or those that are dual-fuel: engines that run on both diesel and natural gas.
?In a unanimous vote, the county fiscal court voted to apply for federal grant money from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program.
Christian County would work with the Morgantown-based Ingram Brothers truck driving company that’s researched the fuel for two years. If approved, the funds would flow through the CMAQ program and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet; the county would distribute the funds to Ingram Brothers without financial investment on their part.
Owner Eric Ingram says the station brings the area a much-needed fuel alternative.
“We’re literally taking a lot of carbon and pollutants out of the air because half the fuel will be displaced with natural gas which burns a lot cleaner than diesel," Ingram said. "It’s a true win-win scenario, it really is.”
Ingram says his company still plans to build but without the extra federal funds, the project’s forced to become a smaller station for internal use. He also says he expects the award announcement sometime this summer.