CNG 4 America’s gas station has state-of-the-art pumps that refuel trucks faster.[/caption]

Alternative fueling options increased on July 7 when  CNG 4 America’s compressed natural gas station opened in Katy at 24985 I-10.

CNG 4 America president Bob Baldwin said the station will help meet demand in Greater Katy.

“The I-10 [route] has a lot of trucks going up and down it. Trucks are the main customers we have,” Baldwin said.

There are more than 7,200 compressed natural gas vehicles in the state, according to the Railroad Commission of Texas.

Many trucking companies have converted their fleets to CNG vehicles because fuel prices are much more stable than gasoline, Baldwin said.

“We’ve priced our fuel for around two dollars a gallon for about all the time we’ve been in business,” he said. “We expect [stability] for a long time.”

The cost stays consistent due to an excess of production, said Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton.

“Experts in the industry say we have upwards of 100 years of natural gas,” he said. “Our ability to utilize it … is changing the infrastructure of our country.”

CNG 4 America’s station gives owners more freedom to choose alternative fuel vehicles, said Lance LaCour, president of the Katy Area Economic Development Council.

“This new facility is a fantastic addition to the energy options that businesses and residents have in the Katy area,” LaCour said.

The new fueling center is a part of the company’s plan to build more stations on trucking routes, Baldwin said.

“We want to go along routes where truckers ask us to go,” Baldwin said. “The first [route was getting from] Houston to New Orleans and back.”

Baldwin said a station is slated for development in Lafayette, Louisiana. He also said there are plans to expand beyond that route, going through Mobile, Alabama and into Florida.

The company plans to build additional stations along a route from Denver to St. Louis, Baldwin said.

“We’ve already got a station we’re going to be building in Colorado,”
he said.

Baldwin said the next CNG 4 America station to open will be in Austin as early as October.