Topic: Natural Gas, the fuel for the future
The Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute, headquartered in the port of Duluth/Superior has recently been awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration to study the feasibility of using natural gas as a primary fuel for Great Lakes commercial vessels. The research plan will include interaction with the European Union that has embarked on a similar study. While GLMRI will be primarily researching marine transportation, they will also be looking at the feasibility of providing LNG fuel in port areas for rail and trucking so that the liquefaction plants realize economies of scale and air emission improvements can be expanded to other modes.
UPS just recently started to repower some of their trucks with LNG. It has been reported in Transport Topics that Congress is considering tax breaks for building natural gas fueling stations and millions more in tax breaks to the manufacturers of natural gas vehicles. The United States has only 133,000 natural gas vehicles vs. 13 million vehicles elsewhere around the world. It is estimated the nation has as much as 120 years worth of natural gas reserves yet untapped.
This seminar will review the proposed study along with an outline of the limitations, disadvantages and advantages of natural gas. Examples of successful transportation systems using natural gas as a primary fuel use will be presented. An open discussion of the potential of future applications of natural gas as a fuel for transportation will follow.
When: March 20, 2012
2:30 – 3:15 p.m.
Where: Ramada Mall of America, Shoshone Room
2300 East American Boulevard, Bloomington, MN
Presented by: Richard D. Stewart, Ph D, CTL
Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, the Director of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center, Co-Director of the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute and Chair of the Department of Business and Economics.
Cost: ‘FREE’ (courtesy of The Transportation Club of Minneapolis/St. Paul)
If you would like to attend, please email us at office@transportationclub.com.
Space is limited, so don’t delay, SIGN UP TODAY!
