Alternative energy pioneer drives natural gas car
By Angela Greiner Contributing Writer

Marlborough resident Mike Manning takes a lunch break to refuel his condensed natural gas car at a re-fueling station outside of Boston. PHOTO/SUBMITTED

Marlborough - With ongoing concerns about global warming and gas prices yoyoing, many Americans are looking into alternative energy vehicles. Marlborough resident Mike Manning, the account executive for natural gas vehicles at KeySpan, has become known as a pioneer on the alternative energy frontier.

Manning's work began in the1990s for MassPort and then for Boston Gas. That's when he worked to establish the first compressed natural gas (CNG) station in New England and then transitioned the Logan bus fleet to natural gas.

According to Manning, who drives a 2007 Honda Civic CNG car, CNG is the most prevalent alternative fuel used in New England.

On average, Manning said, CNG automobiles emit 95 percent less soot, 90 percent less carbon monoxide, 75 percent less nitrogen oxide and 25 percent less carbon dioxide than diesel fueled gasoline cars.

The average price for CNG gas is $2.45 per gallon and it has an octane rating of 130 compared to 87 to 94 for gasoline. The benefit for Americans, Manning said, is that 95 percent of the natural gas used comes from either Texas or Sable Island in Nova Scotia, with no need for refining.

"I was not an environmentalist when I first joined the Boston Gas Company," Manning said.

As a former Boston resident, he was accustomed to the black smoke from city buses. Manning said he was hooked after he saw that the CNG buses had no visible fumes.

But being green is not just a job to Manning.

"I live it," said Manning, who is proud that 40 percent of the MBTA buses have been converted to CNG.

Manning is involved with several energy conservation and environmental organizations, including Green Marlborough, Stream Team and the Alt Wheels Festival. He is wrapping up lastminute chores as the chair of the fund-raising committee sponsoring the two-day "Alt Wheel Festival" to be held at City Hall Plaza in Boston. The event will kick off Friday Sept. 28 at 9 a.m. and run through 6 p.m. Saturday Sept. 29, with a display of vehicles based on more than 70 diff erent technologies.

The festival will also feature several energy-saving exhibits as well as demonstrations, children's activities, art, music and a trip along the "Energy Freedom Trail," with more than 30 stops to illustrate how to create a more sustainable world.

Manning hopes that residents in the Marlborough area will attend the festival and discover what they can do to reduce their energy consumption and save money.

CNG vehicles can be purchased through a regular dealership that provides the option. Manning's vehicle was purchased at Herb Chambers Honda and cost $25,000. The vehicle without the CNG option retails at $21,000, but after a $4,000 tax deduction for the energy efficient CNG, he explained, the two vehicles were equal in price.

For more information about local environmental issues, visit www.greenmarlborough. org. For information about the "Alt Wheels Festival," visit www. altwheels.org.