LINCOLN, Neb., April 25, 2022 – The third refuse truck powered solely by natural gas will soon debut in Lincoln. The truck is part of local a company Uribe Refuse Service’s efforts to join the national trend of cutting fuel costs and reducing tailpipe emissions by converting fleet vehicles to run on natural gas.

“Uribe Refuse Services is proud to announce another fully dedicated natural gas refuse truck as the newest addition to our fleet,” said Nick Crow, vice president of Uribe Refuse Services. “We acquired our first natural gas truck in 2014 and have continued to invest and advance toward a cleaner and greener environment. This endeavor by our company has been steady and falls in line with the recent addition of the City’s Climate Action Plan.” 

By replacing one more diesel-powered refuse truck with a natural gas truck, Lincoln will see an emissions reduction equivalent to taking 325 cars off the city’s streets. 

According to NGV America, there are about 175,000 natural gas vehicles on U.S. roads today. Natural gas vehicles are 90% cleaner than the EPA’s current NOx standard and emit up to 21% fewer GHG emissions than comparable gas and diesel vehicles. When fueling with Renewable Natural Gas, GHG emissions can be reduced up to 382%.

“Converting heavy duty vehicles to natural gas is a key strategy to reducing emissions from the transportation sector,” said Kevin Jarosz, vice president of operations for Black Hills Energy. “Black Hills Energy is committed to sustainability and this is just one more way we can assist the City of Lincoln achieve the goals outlined by the Climate Action Plan passed last year.”

Studies completed by the U.S. Department of Energy have demonstrated both environmental benefits from conversion of refuse trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles as well as potential savings in fuel cost and reduction in noise levels associated with refuse trucks. 

“It’s exciting to see another energy-saving vehicle hit the road,” Jarosz said, “Natural gas truly helps fuel the future.”