One Millennial Can't Code

As a Millennial I feel somewhat ashamed to admit, I know nothing about writing code and practically nothing about website design. I know many Milliennials who not only know how to write code and build their own websites, but they practically taught themselves these skills. Not to say that people from other generations don’t have these skills, but it seems more common place in the Millennial generation. After all it’s impossible for most Milliennials to remember a time when home computers didn’t exist, let alone life without the internet, and as someone from this tech savvy generation I find my knowledge and skills of web design and code writing to be poor at best.

Despite my lack of knowledge of code writing and web design, I decided to undertake updating our 4CORE Alternative Fuels webpage. Initially, I was thinking I would make some suggestions and then have Teresa, our website manager, make the changes for me. Teresa had other ideas however, and she gave me the necessary permissions and short tutorials necessary to make the changes myself. I started off just making minor edits regarding the details of the Refuel Colorado program and inserting new information on alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) that I thought might be helpful for fleets and the public at large. Soon afterwards, I found myself wanting the 4CORE Alternative Fuels webpage to do more.

I started off by embedding the Clean Cities YouTube Channel directly into the page so viewers can watch these videos without having to leave the 4CORE site. I then moved on to create an online sign up form for fleets to complete if they’re interested in a FREE fleet analysis for AFVs. While I didn’t embed this form into the website, I thought a clickable button would be a nice way for interested fleets to sign up for a FREE analysis (turns out having Teresa write the code and create the button for me was easier than her teaching me how to write the code and create the button).

I did manage to create and embed a “Statement of Interest” form to help demonstrate what the demand for alternative fuels may be like if the necessary fueling infrastructure were available in our area. Unfortunately, the form was too small and you couldn’t see the entire thing at once. Upon looking at the code I made a guess as to what numbers, symbols, and the like, were related to the size of the form. My guess was right and I made many changes to the code (actually I changed one number multiple times) until the form was the size I wanted.

Finally, I created and embedded a calculator for determining potential tax credits for the purchase of an electric vehicle.

Did you know if you buy a Tesla in Colorado, you could be eligible for up to $13,500 in state and federal tax credits? With the 4CORE Calculator for Determining Tax Credits for Qualified Plug-In Electric Vehicles (I know the title isn’t very catchy) anyone can enter information specific to their electric vehicle purchase (cost, battery capacity, and incentives) and it will calculate the estimated state and federal tax credits they could receive. There is even more to the 4CORE Alternative Fuels webpage and I highly recommend taking a look at it!

Take time to browse the 4CORE Alternative Fuels webpage; play with the tax credit calculator, watch some Clean Cities YouTube videos, explore the various resources on AFVs, and register to attend the 4CORE/Colorado Energy Office (CEO) Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicle Event.

Event details:

Friday, December 12th, from 9:00 am - 11:00 am
La Plata County Road and Bridge Facility
365 S. Camino del Rio, Durango, CO 81303

FREE coffee, donuts, and fresh fruit for those who attend!

We hope to see you there!

About the Author

Sarah is the Program Specialist at 4CORE who runs the Alternative Fuels Program. She is a Colorado native who fell in love with the Durango area while earning her Bachelor’s in Anthropology at Fort Lewis College. After graduation in 2010 she earned a Master’s in Anthropology and Certificate in Sustainable Urban Infrastructure from the University of Colorado Denver. Sarah moved back to Durango in 2012 in hopes of starting a career in the field of sustainable development. After a grueling 11 month AmeriCorps service term installing weatherization upgrades to low income housing in Southwest Colorado, Sarah is excited to be working with 4CORE on improving the sustainability and resiliency of our local communities.

'The Chicken & The Egg' of Compressed Natural Gas for Transportation

With the consistently rising price of gasoline and diesel and threats of climate change, vehicle fleets and independent drivers are looking to alternative transportation fuels for their transportation needs. One of the leading alternative transportation fuels in the United States is natural gas. When used as a transportation fuel natural gas is stored in storage tanks on the vehicles, in either a compressed natural gas (CNG) form at pressures between 3,000 and 3,600 pounds per square inch, or in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) form at a temperature of -260°F.  Compared to the traditional transportation fuels (gasoline and diesel) natural gas has fewer fuel life-cycle emissions (6%-11% fewer greenhouse gas emissions) and is less expensive, in terms of gasoline gallon equivalents (GGEs).

According to the latest alternative fuels price report from Clean Cities the average cost for CNG in the Rocky Mountain Region is $1.82 per GGE and the average cost for gasoline is $3.42 per gallon. Today in the United States there are approximately 112,000 CNG vehicles in operation and 672 CNG fueling stations where these vehicles can be refueled. However, in the four corners region there is only one CNG fueling station, located in Moab, Utah. With the cost to operate CNG vehicles being almost half the cost to operate traditionally fueled vehicles, why is there almost no CNG presence in the region?

Which came first the chicken, or the egg? 

Fleet managers in the four corners are discussing which should come first, CNG fueling stations or CNG fueled vehicles. CNG fueling stations generally cost between $1 and $2.5 million and, investors are skeptical to put forth such large amounts of money when there is no demand for the transportation fuel. Likewise, fleet managers are resistant to purchase CNG vehicles when there is no place to fuel them, especially since these vehicles cost $7,000 to $10,000 more than traditionally fueled vehicles. Unlike the issue of the chicken and the egg, eventually the four corners region will find a solution to the CNG vehicle and infrastructure dilemma.

One solution to the dilemma currently being considered is subsidization of the first CNG fueling station in Southwest Colorado. In December 2013, Governor Hickenlooper announced a $30 million award from the Federal Highway Administration’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program for the development of CNG fueling stations statewide, and CNG vehicle purchases in non-attainment air quality areas in Colorado. The grant application process for these funds is expected to begin in the spring of 2014. With this funding opportunity the first CNG station developer in Southwest Colorado could be eligible for up to $500,000 in CMAQ funds to purchase the equipment for the station. Capital investment in station equipment is the largest cost associated with the development of a CNG fueling station therefore, the CMAQ funds could make a CNG fueling station project more enticing to investors.

4CORE is working to diversify fuel sources and create demand for alternative fuel vehicles. 4CORE is a sub-grantee of the Refuel Colorado grant, which was awarded to the Colorado Energy Office in order to accelerate the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). The work being done under this grant includes:

• free energy coaching services for fleet managers, 
• discussions with auto dealerships about offering AFVs, and 
• monthly and quarterly working group meetings with different local fleet managers, car dealerships, and economic and community leaders. 

These working group meetings are an arena for knowledge sharing, networking, and AFV demonstrations with question and answer sessions. The energy coaching service offered to fleet managers involves in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis of the fleet to determine which vehicles are most suitable for replacement with AFVs. At present, there are multiple fleet managers in the region interested in these vehicles and they are in the midst of analyzing the economic benefits and returns on investment for purchasing CNG and other alternative fuel vehicles.

4CORE is also working to create a business plan for the first CNG fueling station in Southwest Colorado. The idea is to develop a fueling station coinciding with CNG vehicle procurement by a number of fleets. The fueling station business plan will be shared with investors once it’s completed. It may not be long before we see CNG vehicles on the road, and a fueling station with pump prices reading $1.85/GGE. The chicken and the egg issue of natural gas as a transportation fuel in the four corners will be solved.

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About the Author
Sarah is a Colorado native who fell in love with the Durango area while earning her Bachelor’s in Anthropology at Fort Lewis College. After graduation in 2010 she earned a Master’s in Anthropology and Certificate in Sustainable Urban Infrastructure from the University of Colorado Denver. Sarah moved back to Durango in 2012 in hopes of starting a career in the field of sustainable development. After a grueling 11 month AmeriCorps service term installing weatherization upgrades to low income housing in Southwest Colorado, Sarah is excited to be working with 4CORE on improving the sustainability and resilience of our local communities.

BP America Partnering with Local Energy Efficiency Organization

BP America is partnering with the Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency (4CORE) and the La Plata Energy Council (LPEC) to host regional meetings that will explore   interest, viability, benefits and possible drawbacks of converting local vehicle fleets to run on compressed natural gas, or CNG.

The meetings come as falling price and reduced emissions of compressed natural gas (CNG) are prompting a discussion among local vehicle fleet managers about transitioning to CNG as a transportation fuel.

“BP America was a founding partner of our organization,” said Gregg Dubit, 4CORE Executive Director. “We look forward to facilitating the exchange of information through these regional discussions and exploring the many moving parts of CNG viability for fleets.” CNG is currently less expensive and burns cleaner than gasoline or diesel, making it an affordable and environmentally preferred option for many fleets.

CNG meetings are planned to assess fueling, range, power, maintenance, return on investment, regulations, synchronization between vehicle attainment and fueling stations, and conversion of existing versus the purchase of new vehicles.

Guest speakers with expertise in these areas will be present to inform dialog among regional fleet managers. Fleet managers invited to these meetings include those from the City of Durango, La Plata County, Fort Lewis College, and Southern Ute Community Action Programs Road Runner Transit, among others.

A fleet manager survey is currently underway regarding CNG potential. 4CORE and partners will use this data to further dialogue, address issues, and collaborate on potential solutions.