On the 20th anniversary of the Central Oklahoma Clean Cities Coalition, the group is honoring B and H Construction LLC and the City of Midwest City for their accomplishments in advancing and deploying alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles. The two will receive the 2015 Zach D. Taylor, Jr. Clean Cities Vision Awards from the coalition that is in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the Oklahoma State Energy Office and the U.S. Department of Energy. The coalition was established in 1996 and its primary goal is to advance the use of alternative fuels and fuel savings technologies in vehicle fleets across the state.
B and H Construction is being honored after it opened a 24-hour high-capacity public compressed natural gas station at I-35 Exit 104 near Goldsby. The company specializes in utility networking, excavation and directional drilling and has 73 CNG trucks in its fleet. The fleet is comprised of everything from tractor trailers to Ford F150’s and 43 CNG trucks were added in 2015.
“Their leadership on alternative fuels improves our air quality and assures greater energy security for our region,” said Eric Pollard, Coordinator of the Central Oklahoma Clean Cities Coalition. “The steps taken by B and H Construction in opening a public CNG station, converting its fleet and sharing their experience and expertise have been remarkable.”
The City of Midwest City’s Fleet Services Department will receive the public stakeholder award for years of alternative fuel leadership. The Department manages 1,400 pieces of fueled equipment and the fleet is powered by one of the most diverse fuel portfolios in Oklahoma. The city built new infrastructure in 2012 for biodiesel and ethanol fueling capablities. It has also converted a number of refuse trucks to CNG and plans to add more CNG vehicles to the fleet. The department is also the first governmental automotive repair facility in the state to earn the Blue Seal of Excellence recognition from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.
“Midwest City’s commitment to excellence in their fleet operations greatly advances the missions and goals of the Central Oklahoma Clean Cities Coalition,” said John G. Johnson, Executive Director of ACOG.
Ever since its creation in 1996, the coalition has pushed for development of more alternative fuel stations open to the public. Oklahoma now leads the nation in publicly-available CNG stations per capita at 93 and has more than 50 propane stations, 39 electric vehicle chargers and 14 ethanol stations.
