WBRZ - Baton Rouge

LAFAYETTE, La. - Two public fueling stations for natural gas-powered vehicles are set to open next year in Lafayette as part of initiatives that include new natural gas buses and the conversion of at least 40 city-parish vehicles to run on natural gas.

The efforts come in a wider push by government and industry to develop natural gas as an alternative vehicle fuel that is touted as a cleaner burning and cheaper alternative to gasoline.

The city-parish is planning to open a natural gas fueling station at the public works facility on East University Avenue by next fall. The Advocate reports a second station is under construction by Apache Corporation, a Houston-based oil and gas company that has been at the forefront of promoting natural gas as a vehicle fuel.