The City of La Verne is doing its part to clean up air in the Southland.  To reduce the amount of emissions generated by its vehicles, La Verne has begun an aggressive campaign to replace traditional gasoline fueled vehicles with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles as well as outfitting City vehicles with GPS/remote vehicle diagnostic modules.

The City has already constructed a CNG fueling station at its maintenance facility as well as put four CNG vehicles in the field with an additional five on order.  CNG is a beneficial alternative because it has been proven to be a cleaner burning alternative to traditional fuels as well as being much safer.  According to the EPA, vehicles operating on CNG have reductions in carbon monoxide emissions of 90 to 97 percent, and reductions in carbon dioxide emissions of 25 percent compared to traditional vehicles.  Due to the relatively simple makeup of natural gas in comparison to traditional vehicle fuels, there are fewer toxic and carcinogenic emissions from natural gas vehicles, and virtually no particulate emissions.

To build off the progress gained with a move toward CNG, the City has also installed Networkfleet into over 70 fleet vehicles.  Networkfleet modules are GPS/remote vehicle diagnostic devices that are linked to on-board, vehicle diagnostic computers.  These modules continuously monitor vehicle performance and notify fleet operators of malfunctions instantaneously.  By continuously monitoring a vehicle’s emission control system, Networkfleet enables fleet personnel to quickly identify and repair potential smog related failures.  Early detection and timely repair dramatically reduces output of smog forming chemicals and other potential issues that can be harmful to the environment.

The installation of the Networkfleet modules was made possible by the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC), which awarded the City $11,925 in Clean Transportation Funding through its Local Government Match Program.  This program currently provides incentives for the City to seek out projects such as CNG vehicles and Networkfleet that can improve area air quality.  MSRC was established in 1990 and members are made up of representatives from the transportation agencies of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties as well as the Southern California Association of Governments, the California air Resources Board, and the South coast Air Quality Management District.