University Partnership CNG
In our investigation of CNG as a transportation fuel, we’ve learned that two of the most significant impediments to its increased utilization are lower energy intensity than other fuels and the lack of natural gas infrastructure development. Because of this lower intensity, CNG-fueled vehicles have limited driving ranges. Despite the abundant supply of natural gas in the State of Texas, the scarcity of filling stations leads to the so-called “range anxiety” of CNG vehicle drivers who have reason to fear that they will not have access to fuel when their tanks are running low. The University Partnership Link plan addresses both of these concerns. By encouraging Texas public universities, partnered with municipal transportation providers, to take advantage of incentives for purchase of alternative fuel vehicles and development of facilities, new infrastructure will be constructed. Universities spread across the state, with CNG filling stations equipped to fuel their campus transportation, will provide the public with adequate range capacity to drive across the state without concern for running out of gas.
In a study at Texas A&M University titled TOWARD A GREEN CAMPUS:
A TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY FOR TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, researchers discussed the relationship between a university’s “location and geographic characteristics of a university campus,” and the type of transportation system the campus requires to best suit the needs of students and faculty. The University Partnership Link builds upon the same ideas by developing plans aimed toward adding CNG pipelines and publicly available filling stations as a result of Texas Universities leading the way in adoption of the fuel for their campus transportation needs and making the fuel available to the public as well. The A&M study compared the differing transportation needs of campuses located in rural areas compared to those built in metropolitan communities. Our study takes this one step further, breaking these categories down by campus population.
In our investigation of CNG as a transportation fuel, we’ve learned that two of the most significant impediments to its increased utilization are lower energy intensity than other fuels and the lack of natural gas infrastructure development. Because of this lower intensity, CNG-fueled vehicles have limited driving ranges. Despite the abundant supply of natural gas in the State of Texas, the scarcity of filling stations leads to the so-called “range anxiety” of CNG vehicle drivers who have reason to fear that they will not have access to fuel when their tanks are running low. The University Partnership Link plan addresses both of these concerns. By encouraging Texas public universities, partnered with municipal transportation providers, to take advantage of incentives for purchase of alternative fuel vehicles and development of facilities, new infrastructure will be constructed. Universities spread across the state, with CNG filling stations equipped to fuel their campus transportation, will provide the public with adequate range capacity to drive across the state without concern for running out of gas.
In a study at Texas A&M University titled TOWARD A GREEN CAMPUS:
A TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY FOR TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, researchers discussed the relationship between a university’s “location and geographic characteristics of a university campus,” and the type of transportation system the campus requires to best suit the needs of students and faculty. The University Partnership Link builds upon the same ideas by developing plans aimed toward adding CNG pipelines and publicly available filling stations as a result of Texas Universities leading the way in adoption of the fuel for their campus transportation needs and making the fuel available to the public as well. The A&M study compared the differing transportation needs of campuses located in rural areas compared to those built in metropolitan communities. Our study takes this one step further, breaking these categories down by campus population.
We focused our data on university campuses that would extend the development of CNG to all corners of the State of Texas. The concepts may certainly be applied to any public college or university, however, that is working toward compliance with the state’s recommendation that state owned fleet vehicles must be powered by alternative clean-burning fuels whenever available. The data table displays universities by their official enrollment for Fall 2014. In viewing the table, readers notice that of schools with student enrollment over 30,000 two universities operate their own transportation system, Texas A&M and University of Texas Arlington. These large campuses are set in two very different geographic locations, a consideration of the A&M study. Texas A&M is located in rural central Texas. In rural areas, the setting surrounding the campus typically does not have a public transportation system available to meet the needs of the university’s student population.
Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of the school itself to provide these services to students. Texas A&M owns its own vehicle fleet to transport students around campus and into the surrounding community for commuter students or for shopping and entertainment. Conversion of its vehicle fleet by Texas A&M would be a boost to the CNG infrastructure as well as the university itself. Fleets vehicles on routes through rural Texas would likely patronize a filling station maintained by the university, helping to recoup the costs of developing the infrastructure. Another university with a large student enrollment is University of Texas Arlington. Unlike Texas A&M, UTA is located in a densely populated metropolitan area where infrastructure, theoretically, is already fully developed. In the case of UT Arlington, however, the university needed to invest in transportation for its students to facilitate commuters and campus residents needing to travel throughout the Dallas area. Arlington, the 50th largest city in the nation, was, until 2013, known to be the largest city without mass transportation. In 2013 UTA added an agreement with The Max transportation, a partnership between Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transit Authority to its student transportation plan. For Arlington residents The Max may be temporary as the agreement is set to expire in 2015 unless voters approve a renewal. The Max and all DART buses are CNG buses, however so the issue of cost and emissions will not likely be on the list of voter concerns. While the situation in Arlington is unusual, it does represent a typical scenario for large universities looking for ways to provide transportation for their students. By partnering with public transit authorities, universities can provide low cost solutions for their students. By taking advantage of grants and incentives offered by the State of Texas to convert their fleets to CNG, these schools and their partner agencies could further develop the adoption of CNG as a clean fuel alternative in Texas.
Schools with smaller student populations may not need the vehicles for transportation on campus as walking remains the easiest and healthiest way to commute. However, many of the students attending these schools often commute great distances to get to class. For many of the small schools in South Texas, like UT Pan AM and UT Brownsville (which will soon merge to form one school), sharing transportation in the form of a partnership with public transit makes a lot of sense. The schools in South Texas have many students who commute across the border from Mexico to attend class. Having cost effective and reliable public transportation for these students is a must. Again, taking advantage of Texas CNG incentives is a way to help these schools and transit agencies provide a needed service. Building the infrastructure with assistance from the state lengthens the CNG pipeline and increases the development of an available fuel supply for CNG vehicles. The heavily traveled roads from the Rio Grande Valley out of South Texas carry many consumer goods from Mexico and with an less expensive, readily available supply of CNG over the road trucks are more likely to adopt the fuel for their vehicle fleets. University of Texas El Paso is another rural commuter school helping to increase the CNG infrastructure to far west Texas by using CNG buses through a partnership Sun Metro transportation. Sun Metro utilizes a vehicle fleet powered 100% by CNG.
Moving North into the Texas Panhandle region, schools like Texas Tech and West Texas A&M, with their proximity to the oil and gas region of the Texas Permian Basin, are well positioned to do their part to extend the pipelines for CNG to the upper regions of Texas. Texas Tech currently partners with Citibus using hybrid electric diesel buses funded by a $2million Clean Fuels Grant, which is certainly good news for the environment. West Texas A&M might want to consider taking advantage of retrofitting its university-owned shuttle with CNG. As demand for CNG increases for CNG the supply lines will open up. Businesses like Freedom CNG from Houston (see interview with John Athon) are poised to develop CNG fueling facilities where there is a ready demand. Some of the small schools have only vans or golf carts to fill their transportation needs. These can also be powered by CNG and filled at a regular gas station equipped to dispense the fuel. Every CNG vehicle that replaces a gasoline vehicle reduces emissions, generates cost savings, and increases the demand for CNG spurring further development of the network. With colleges and universities, along with the state’s mass transit authorities, filling in the wide open spaces on Texas highways with CNG fuel, fleet operators, public transportation, and private vehicles could drive clean across Texas without worrying running out of fuel.
(See also a discussion of a plan for the University of Houston’s CNG park and ride partnership)
Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of the school itself to provide these services to students. Texas A&M owns its own vehicle fleet to transport students around campus and into the surrounding community for commuter students or for shopping and entertainment. Conversion of its vehicle fleet by Texas A&M would be a boost to the CNG infrastructure as well as the university itself. Fleets vehicles on routes through rural Texas would likely patronize a filling station maintained by the university, helping to recoup the costs of developing the infrastructure. Another university with a large student enrollment is University of Texas Arlington. Unlike Texas A&M, UTA is located in a densely populated metropolitan area where infrastructure, theoretically, is already fully developed. In the case of UT Arlington, however, the university needed to invest in transportation for its students to facilitate commuters and campus residents needing to travel throughout the Dallas area. Arlington, the 50th largest city in the nation, was, until 2013, known to be the largest city without mass transportation. In 2013 UTA added an agreement with The Max transportation, a partnership between Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transit Authority to its student transportation plan. For Arlington residents The Max may be temporary as the agreement is set to expire in 2015 unless voters approve a renewal. The Max and all DART buses are CNG buses, however so the issue of cost and emissions will not likely be on the list of voter concerns. While the situation in Arlington is unusual, it does represent a typical scenario for large universities looking for ways to provide transportation for their students. By partnering with public transit authorities, universities can provide low cost solutions for their students. By taking advantage of grants and incentives offered by the State of Texas to convert their fleets to CNG, these schools and their partner agencies could further develop the adoption of CNG as a clean fuel alternative in Texas.
Schools with smaller student populations may not need the vehicles for transportation on campus as walking remains the easiest and healthiest way to commute. However, many of the students attending these schools often commute great distances to get to class. For many of the small schools in South Texas, like UT Pan AM and UT Brownsville (which will soon merge to form one school), sharing transportation in the form of a partnership with public transit makes a lot of sense. The schools in South Texas have many students who commute across the border from Mexico to attend class. Having cost effective and reliable public transportation for these students is a must. Again, taking advantage of Texas CNG incentives is a way to help these schools and transit agencies provide a needed service. Building the infrastructure with assistance from the state lengthens the CNG pipeline and increases the development of an available fuel supply for CNG vehicles. The heavily traveled roads from the Rio Grande Valley out of South Texas carry many consumer goods from Mexico and with an less expensive, readily available supply of CNG over the road trucks are more likely to adopt the fuel for their vehicle fleets. University of Texas El Paso is another rural commuter school helping to increase the CNG infrastructure to far west Texas by using CNG buses through a partnership Sun Metro transportation. Sun Metro utilizes a vehicle fleet powered 100% by CNG.
Moving North into the Texas Panhandle region, schools like Texas Tech and West Texas A&M, with their proximity to the oil and gas region of the Texas Permian Basin, are well positioned to do their part to extend the pipelines for CNG to the upper regions of Texas. Texas Tech currently partners with Citibus using hybrid electric diesel buses funded by a $2million Clean Fuels Grant, which is certainly good news for the environment. West Texas A&M might want to consider taking advantage of retrofitting its university-owned shuttle with CNG. As demand for CNG increases for CNG the supply lines will open up. Businesses like Freedom CNG from Houston (see interview with John Athon) are poised to develop CNG fueling facilities where there is a ready demand. Some of the small schools have only vans or golf carts to fill their transportation needs. These can also be powered by CNG and filled at a regular gas station equipped to dispense the fuel. Every CNG vehicle that replaces a gasoline vehicle reduces emissions, generates cost savings, and increases the demand for CNG spurring further development of the network. With colleges and universities, along with the state’s mass transit authorities, filling in the wide open spaces on Texas highways with CNG fuel, fleet operators, public transportation, and private vehicles could drive clean across Texas without worrying running out of fuel.
(See also a discussion of a plan for the University of Houston’s CNG park and ride partnership)
Sources University enrollment and Transportation
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Anderson, Lindsey. 'Dorms, Open Space Help Expand UTEP Campus Offerings'. El Paso Times.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.
Angelo.edu,. 'Current Initiatives'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Campbell, Ruth. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Citibus.com,. 'Texas Tech Campus Route Schedules'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
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Denton County Transportation Authority Long Range Service Plan Executive Report. 1st ed. Denton: Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc., 2012. Web. 8 May 2015.
Depts.ttu.edu,. 'Texas Tech University :: Dean Of Students'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Fall 2014 Stats At A Glance. 1st ed. San Antonio: Office of Institutional Research & Effectiveness, 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.
Farzaneh, Mohamadreza et al. Toward A Green Campus: A Transportation Strategy For Texas A&M University. College Station: Southwest Region University Transportation Center Texas Transportation Institute Texas A&M University System, 2009. Web. 17 Mar. 2015. SWUTC/09/167174-1.
Fast Facts For Lumberjacks 2014-2015. 1st ed. Nacogdoches Tx: Office of Institutional Research, 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.
FTA FY 2011 Sustainability Awards. 1st ed. fta.gov, 2011. Web. 8 May 2015.
Institutionalresearch.unt.edu,. 'Fact Book | Institutional Research And Effectiveness'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Lamar.edu,. 'About Lamar University - Lamar University'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Metro ArlingtonXpress,. 'Metro Arlingtonxpress'. N.p., 2013. Web. 8 May 2015.
Metro-magazine.com,. 'DART Unveils New Bus Fleet'. N.p., 2013. Web. 8 May 2015.
Mwsu.edu,. 'MSU » Quick Facts'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Mwsu.edu,. 'The Mustangs Shuttle Route'. N.p., 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.
Myers, Kevin. ENERGY CONSERVATION PLAN GOAL ACHIEVEMENTS. 1st ed. Victoria: UHV Facilities Services, 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.
Ntdaily.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.
Shsu.edu,. 'Residence Life | Sam Houston State University'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Shuttle.txstate.edu,. 'Bobcat Shuttle: Texas State University'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Studentlife.tamu.edu,. 'Off-Campus Students | Department Of Student Life'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Tamucc.edu,. 'Our Location - Texas A&M University Corpus Christi - The Island University'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, Web and Multimedia Services - 2010. 'Fast Facts | About UTSA | UTSA | The University Of Texas At San Antonio'. Utsa.edu. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, Web and Multimedia Services - 2010. 'Transportation | UTSA Downtown Campus| UTSA | The University Of Texas At San Antonio'. Utsa.edu. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Transport.tamu.edu,. 'About Aggie Spirit Transit'. N.p., 2012. Web. 8 May 2015.
Twu.edu,. 'Transportation - TWU Commuter Services - Texas Woman's University'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Txhighereddata.org,. 'Texas Higher Education Data: Certified Fall 2014 Texas Higher Ed Enrollment Data'. N.p., 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.
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Universitycommunications.utep.edu,. 'UTEP Facts Brochure'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Universitypolice.lamar.edu,. 'Parking And Shuttle - Lamar University'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Unt.edu,. 'University Of North Texas Parking & Transportation Services'. Web. 8 May 2015.
Uta.edu,. 'Fast Facts - UT Arlington'. N.p., 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.
Utdallas.edu,. 'Comet Cruiser - Auxiliary Services - The University Of Texas At Dallas'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Utexas.edu,. 'About UT Shuttle System | Parking & Transportation Services (PTS) | The University Of Texas At Austin'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Villareal, Oscar, and Veronica Mendez. Operations Administration Working Group Preliminary Report. 1st ed. Brownsville: Campus Master Planning, Physical Resources and Transportation Working Group, 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.
Wtamu.edu,. 'West Texas A&M University: Quick Facts'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.