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The Woodlands wants trolleys to go green By BETH KUHLES
• Routes: The Town Center route will continue with a transfer station for a line along the Interstate 45 feeder in Shenandoah and a second line along the feeder road in Oak Ridge North. • Fuel: The trolley would use biofuels produced by Safe Renewables Corp. in Oak Ridge North. That fuel uses various feed stocks including soy oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil and animal fats. • Research: The project would include a two-year research component by the Houston Advanced Research Center, which would monitor trolleys and operations. Source: The Goodman Corp. The Woodlands Township will pursue federal funding for a demonstration project that uses alternative fuels in expanding trolley service for South Montgomery County. "If it's out there and we qualify, there is a good chance we will get it," said Nelda Luce Blair, chairwoman of The Woodlands Township, the new government entity which represents the community. The project would retrofit the Town Center fleet to use biofuels and extend service to business areas in Shenandoah and Oak Ridge North. It also would develop a biofuel facility to serve the project and involve a research component using the Houston Advanced Research Center in The Woodlands. "We think this is an excellent opportunity for the township to pursue federal funds," said Barry M. Goodman, president of The Goodman Corp., a transportation consultant hired by the township. The Woodlands Township is seeking $3.4 million for the project through earmarks in the Fiscal Year 2009 Congressional Appropriations budgets for transportation, water and energy, Goodman said. "Because the township is involved in transportation and because the demand is so great and because there is a growing theme to adopt new environmental practices, we want to pursue additional vehicles to operate in the larger Woodlands area," Goodman said. Proposed plans Under the proposal, the four trolleys that operate in Town Center would be converted from using propane to biofuels. The project would add a transfer stop at The Woodlands Mall for two lines one operating along the Interstate 45 feeder road in Shenandoah and the second operating along the feeder road in Oak Ridge North. The new routes would require six new trolleys. The system would rely on biofuel produced by Safe Renewables Corp., which supplies the area's first biodiesel generating plant in Oak Ridge North. That company produces biofuels using multiple feedstocks, such as soy oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil and animal fats. The proposal also includes a biofueling facility to serve the project. Another component of the program would involve research by the Houston Advanced Research Center, which would monitor the fleet and operations for two years, Goodman said. That entity is dedicated to improving the environment through the use of sustainable science and development. The executive committee of the township board gave its president Frank Robinson the authority to apply for the fund, but the board made no financial commitment on whether it would operate the program. The proposal will be submitted to the members of the state's congressional delegation, including U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Dallas, and Sen. John Cornyn, R-San Antonio, and U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands. Goodman said that Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, also is interested in alternative fuels. Federal funding does require a 20 percent local match, but Goodman said that funding could be made up with the value of the land for the transfer station or a little-known fund generated by toll roads in the area. Township board member Lloyd Matthews asked if the system could be expanded to village centers in The Woodlands. "That's part of what we are doing here," Robinson said. "We could be a model green community." Township board member Fred O'Connor, who is the mayor of Oak Ridge North, said that transportation continues to be the number one concern among residents of the county. "When you analyze all the areas of need, transportation is always in the top two," O'Connor said. Blair said the township, which represents 86,000 residents, now is a significant entity that can pursue major funding for projects, including new transportation options. "It puts us in a new category because we are so much larger," Blair said. "As the government for the entire Woodlands, certainly it is on our radar."
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