A Mid-Atlantic road show to promote the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) in transportation will offer half-day programs on natural gas transportation in Maryland and Virginia this week with Chicago-based Trillium CNG, a fueling station developer/operator, helping sponsor the program series. The programs are aimed at fleet operating businesses and will provide presentations on the current state of the natural gas industry, CNG infrastructure developments, and the advantages of CNG as a transportation fuel. The first meeting was held in Sparks, MD, on Tuesday; others are scheduled 9 a.m. until noon at Rockville, MD (Wednesday), Richmond, VA (Thursday), and Chesapeake, VA (Friday).

The California Energy Commission on Monday distributed $21.2 million in grants for school energy efficiency and alternative fuel vehicle technology programs. Three school districts received a total of $13.5 million for energy efficiency measures and solar installations at 14 different sites around the state. For alternative and renewable fuel and vehicle technology $7.7 million was awarded to four recipients — the South Coast Air Quality Management District, CalSTART Inc., Pacific Ethanol Development LLC and the City of San Mateo. The city will use a $2.4 million grant to produce low- carbon biomethane from unused digester gas at a wastewater treatment plant to fuel fleet vehicles.