Department of Environmental Quality awards grants for natural gas use

SALT LAKE CITY — Natural gas usage will expand in Utah thanks to grants from the Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Air Quality.

The division has awarded $250,000 in grants from the Clean Fuels Grant and Loan Program to help three entities — Salt Lake City Corp., Utah Transit Authority and University of Utah — purchase natural gas equipment or expand natural gas refueling stations along the Wasatch Front.

Salt Lake City will use the grant to purchase four CNG vehicles for its fleet.

“The conversion of the city's fleet to CNG is proving to be very successful and well-received by the community," said Renee Zollinger, Salt Lake City's environmental manager. "The purchase of these vehicles will expand the breadth and diversity of alternative fuel vehicles used to deliver city services and help demonstrate that the technology is beneficial in a wide variety of applications.”