Salt Lake City International Airport
Last Updated: 09/27/2007
The Salt Lake City International Airport is a major western U.S. hub serving 18 airlines that operate 450 scheduled daily departures. Its location within the city limits of Salt Lake City puts it in an EPA air quality nonattainment area for particulate matter. The airport has instituted a Clean Fuel Program in an effort to reduce airport vehicle emissions by using alternative fuels.
The airport parking shuttle fleet includes 13 35-foot buses and six 40-foot buses that are CNG powered. Due to a recent rapid growth in airport parking, the airport purchased five used diesel buses that are running on B20 biodiesel. Altogether, the fleet operates 24 hours a day and travels more than 600,000 miles per year.
The airport has begun to replace its aging 35-foot buses and the five diesel powered buses with a fleet of 19 40-foot low-floor CNG buses. The rest of the airport fleet consists of 96 light-duty vehicles (49 CNG, 10 electric, 8 hybrid, and 39 biodiesel) along with the CNG buses and three CNG heavy-duty trucks. Through these combined efforts, the airport has reduced its regulated emissions output by approximately 17,498 pounds per year when compared to a similarly sized fleet running on gasoline and diesel.
The airport also has CNG fueling infrastructure as the result of the combined efforts of the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program, Utah Clean Cities, Salt Lake City Corporation, Questar Energy Services, Utah Energy Office, Utah LP Gas, and Utah Hotel & Lodging Association. The fueling facility was positioned to accommodate the airport's CNG fleet as well as private ground transportation providers. It is open 24 hours a day and is also available to the public.
The airport offers private ground shuttle companies a $2,500 credit for driving an alternative fuel vehicle on airport property and using the passenger pickup restricted access lane. By working together with private fleets and the public, Salt Lake City International Airport has succeeded in its quest for clean air through the use of alternative fuels and vehicles.
For more information about alternative vehicles at the Salt Lake City International Airport, contact Ed Napier at ed.napier@slcgov.com.
