Waste Management Teams with Terasen Gas to Help Meet Climate Action Goals

"Clean Air" Trucks Will Improve Air Quality, Reduce Greenhouse Gases

VANCOUVER, Sept. 28 /CNW/ - Waste Management (NYSE: WM) and Terasen Gas announced today that some of the recycling and garbage trucks that serve Lower Mainland businesses will soon have a smaller carbon footprint, thanks to Waste Management's new Vancouver Clean Air Initiative and funding from Terasen Gas.

"Waste Management understands that clean air is critically important to our community and provincial partners in B.C.," said Rob Sherman, director of operations for Waste Management - Pacific Northwest. "This investment makes Waste Management part of the clean air solution as we partner with B.C. communities and businesses to advance green technologies and help meet important climate action goals."

Waste Management will deploy 20 new "clean air" trucks in January 2011 to serve Lower Mainland businesses. The trucks will be powered by CNG as part of Waste Management's broader efforts to improve air quality and help local and provincial governments meet aggressive new sustainability goals.

The contribution from Terasen Gas is from their Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program, which will help offset the incremental cost of the compressed natural gas (CNG) powered trucks versus their traditional diesel counterparts. 

"Terasen Gas is committed to helping address B.C.'s climate action goals by providing innovative energy solutions such as natural gas for the transportation sector," said Doug Stout, vice president, energy solutions and external relations at Terasen Gas and FortisBC. "As such, we are working to facilitate the use of natural gas, traditional low-carbon energy, in new ways within B.C. This collaboration with Waste Management of Canada Corporation is one of the first steps towards achieving this goal."

Trucks powered by natural gas are both economical and environmentally-friendly. Natural gas is also increasingly used as an alternate transportation fuel due to rising oil prices, tougher emission standards and growing public demand for environmentally-friendlier vehicles.

For example, comparing current prices for CNG and diesel, fuel costs for the new Waste Management trucks would be 40 per cent less. Maintenance costs are expected to be lower because natural gas burns cleaner than diesel, so engine parts stay cleaner. Moreover, the clean-burning trucks will deliver distinct environmental benefits, including nearly zero air particulate, 23 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, quieter engines and a smaller carbon footprint.

Waste Management operates the largest fleet of clean air CNG recycling and waste trucks in North America and is committed to using alternative fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Today's announcement marks the beginning of the company's program to build a "green fleet" to serve the Lower Mainland. This program will also help contribute to Waste Management's sustainability goal of reducing fleet emissions by 15 per cent and increasing fuel efficiency by 15 per cent by 2020.

Terasen Gas will also be seeking approval this fall from the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) to install a fueling station at Waste Management's site in Coquitlam to provide CNG for the vehicles. Currently, Waste Management of Canada Corporation operates 100 diesel-powered vehicles out of Coquitlam and plans to gradually move toward operating an entire fleet powered by CNG, as vehicles are replaced over time.

Fleet use remains the largest market for natural gas vehicles (NGVs) as companies try to reduce fuel costs and lower emissions. For fleets that come home at night, such as transit and refuse fleets, natural gas creates a more attractive bottom line and a smaller environmental footprint. With more than 11 million NGVs in use around the world, NGVs are cleaner than, and as safe as their gasoline and diesel counterparts.

About Waste Management
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America.  To learn more visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

About Terasen Gas
Terasen Gas is mainly composed of the operations of Terasen Gas Inc. and Terasen Gas (Vancouver Island) Inc., both indirect wholly owned subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. Fortis Inc., the largest investor-owned distribution utility in Canada, serves approximately 2,100,000 gas and electric customers and has total assets exceeding $12 billion. Its regulated holdings include Terasen Gas and electric utilities in five Canadian provinces and three Caribbean countries. Fortis Inc. owns non-regulated hydroelectric generation assets across Canada and in Belize and upper New York State. It also owns hotels and commercial real estate in Canada. Fortis Inc. shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and trade under the symbol FTS. Additional information can be accessed at www.fortisinc.com or www.sedar.com.

For further information:

Jackie Lang
Waste Management
503.705.0007
[email protected]

Marcus Wong
Terasen Gas
778.571.3263
[email protected]