Grant application could mean future in propane

Grant application could mean future in propane

By Kelsey Wilkinson Wednesday, 29 April 2009

The Williamson County Commissioner’s Court voted yesterday to approve an application for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program based on the possibility of incorporating propane as a major fuel source for several Williamson County entities.

The Court discussed using the grant money to build several propane filling stations in the county to possibly be shared by emergency vehicles, school buses and other large, primarily diesel-fueled transportation, but commissioners did not make any final decisions regarding the fueling stations and which entities would use them. According to the Texas Propane Educational and Marketing Foundation, a switch to propane fuel would save the county money and produce cleaner emissions than gasoline.

The decision to participate in the grant program comes after recent attempts by local governments to take part in the “big push” program, an initiative to keep Central Texas within the Environmental Protection Agency’s clean air standards. The switch to propane-fueled transportation would improve the county’s air quality, but not soon enough to affect the area’s ozone rating. County Commissioner for Precinct One, Lisa Birkman, said the county should take other factors besides the “big push” into consideration.

“The number one reason kids miss school is because of asthma,” the commissioner said. “The air quality has a lot to do with that, so this is also a health issue.”

Though the court voted to approve the grant application after hearing a proposal for propane use, County Judge Dan Gattis said he did not want to rule out other energy sources like solar and wind power.