Firm to convert Seattle drayage trucks to natural gas

   The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has selected Omnitek Engineering for a natural gas conversion pilot project targeting drayage trucks serving the Port of Seattle.
   The company will demonstrate diesel-to-natural gas conversions in support of the agency’s goal of meeting 2007 Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards by 2017 for an estimated 2,000 drayage trucks.
   “Converting diesel engines to operate on natural gas offers trucking operators a significant return on investment, with much lower fuel costs and cleaner combustion,” Omnitek’s Werner Funk said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and our partners to achieve the goals of the Port of Seattle’s Clean Truck Program and participating in a full-scale conversion program.”
   Omnitek recently received EPA approval for its Navistar DT466E and DT530E engines, and the company has since seen its conversion business picking up. Funk even has an eye on expanding the conversion program to Asia, Europe and South America. – Jon Ross