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WHITE CITY — About 75 local transportation, fleet management, utility and energy representatives gathered Wednesday afternoon to inaugurate the Rogue Green Fuels compressed natural gas fueling station on Anthony Way. "We live in a region where the quality of the air we breathe is an everyday concern for our residents," said Rogue Waste Systems CEO Stephen Gambee, whose firm owns and operates the site. CNG access provides transportation-related industries more options when investing in new equipment, Gambee said, noting eight of Rogue Disposal's 36 recycling and waste collection vehicles are CNG-fueled, with three more on order. Steve Vincent, Avista Utilities' Oregon Regional Business Manager, called it a pivotal moment similar to when orchardists moved away from smudge pots and the end of wigwam burners at local mills. "Thanks to our captains of industry, like the Harry & Davids or Naumeses, we transitioned from the heavy use of smudge pots into an alternative we all see in the orchards today. It was a significant transition that has made huge improvements in our airshed." The project is another incremental step in improving the region's air quality, ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon said. "What is being created here is something very special," Marmon said. "It touches on the elements of the environment, transportation and community livability. We can all remember the days when our valley was choked with smoke and it made us realize how susceptible our valley is to air-quality issues." He added ODOT was transitioning some of its regional fleet to CNG fueling. "It makes sense from a fiscal perspective and makes sense from a stewardship perspective," he said. The fueling station is one many opportunities to reduce greenhouse gases, Oregon Energy Department Director Mike Kaplan said. "These types of energy products just don't happen magically," Kaplan said. "They take time, resources and investments. They require long-term commitment, planning, ingenuity and vision." TruStar Energy, whose Western operations are based in Rancho Cucamonga, California, broke ground last February for the fast-fill station equipped with three 200 HP Ariel compressors capable of producing the equivalent of nearly 11 gallons of gasoline per minute. There is space for a fourth compressor at a time when Avista can supply more natural gas, said Mike Tucker, who oversees sales for 18 states. TruStar has built 140 CNG stations during the past five years, including 41 during 2014 and 27 in 2015. The Green Fuels station will be one of three publicly accessible CNG fueling stations along a 400-mile stretch between Chico, California, and Eugene. Rogue Valley Transportation District was an early adopter of CNG vehicles. Tim D'Alessandro, who oversees RVTD operations and maintenance, said the dependability has improved dramatically. Early adoption helped in some ways and was painful in others, he said. "The technology was in its infancy," D'Alessandro said. "We had to kind of teach ourselves. If it breaks, you figure out why it broke, and you fix it. As a result, the guys I have in the shop are what I would consider experts in the field. We're now into a technology that is very clean and dependable. We've made some great contributions to cleaning up the airshed here in the valley by going to that kind of clean-burning alternative fuel."   — Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31.