Just a walk in the park

Some people are attracted to the stunning beauty of deep blue lake waters tucked picturesquely beneath white-capped mountains. Others come to witness the graceful power of a waterfall, or the almost spiritual silence of a rustic landscape torn from an old Zane Gray novel.

For more than 260 million visitors each year, there is never a shortage of reasons to experience the history and natural beauty of our nation’s 378 national parks.

Yet visitors who flock to the wilderness can themselves endanger the pristine landscape that draws them to these vast, national treasures.

Thousands of cars and tour buses choke the 8,000 miles of roads that wind through the parks. The noise and congestion chase the indigenous wildlife – protected elk, bison, bear, fish and fowl – farther from their native habitats. Smog from tailpipe emissions diminishes the majestic views that no painter’s brush or photograph could ever capture.

Meanwhile, swaths of forest must be cut and sensitive landscapes dug up so power lines and natural gas pipe can be extended to service burgeoning visitor needs.

Three years ago, federal officials launched a bold initiative to preserve its precious resources. A formal directive – Greening the National Parks – was issued, committing all park operations to environmental compliance, education and stewardship. The program’s objective is to promote the use of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies and practices throughout the parks, and to educate the visiting public about those efforts.

In addition to starting extensive recycling programs and conserving energy and other resources, the Park Service is directing its staff to convert its thousands of vehicles to alternative fuel vehicles and to enhance alternative transportation options for visitors. It also encourages all parks to consider switching to alternative energy sources and “green” power providers and to eliminate the purchase of any toxic or non-biodegradable materials.

Tomorrow’s Energy Today

On a cool September afternoon, Yellowstone National Park rangers steered incoming cars around a group of 50 people gathered at the park’s west entrance. With TV news cameras rolling, Assistant Superintendent Frank Walker cut the ceremonial ribbon stretched out in front of the first field demonstration project of a propane-powered fuel cell.

The 4.5-kilowatt unit is designed to generate electrical energy to power computers, communication and lighting at the entrance kiosk. Performance data – such as fuel consumption, electricity output and run time – will be recorded and analyzed over the next year of operation. The unit already has proven successful in laboratory testing; the Yellowstone site was chosen as a good measure of the unit’s performance at high altitude and in heavy snow.

The project was a joint venture between the Propane Education & Research Council, fuel cell manufacturer H Power Corp., local propane retailer Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative, and energy services cooperative Energy Co-Opportunity. PERC provided funds for site engineering, a 1,000-gallon underground propane tank, piping, valves and installation.

“The propane industry is investing in the future – the future of our national parks. We’re helping to preserve our valued landscapes, the air quality, the water clarity and the scenic settings. It’s as worthwhile a cause as I can think of,” PERC Chairman Walter Cressman told the audience just before the ribbon cutting.

“We look forward to many more days like this when we celebrate the preservation of our natural wonders through the partnership of new technologies and a trusted energy source.”

In fact, a host of other propane projects already are in the works at Yellowstone. They include the conversion of the landmark Grant Village Visitors Center from an aging fuel oil system to a new propane-fueled infrastructure; the introduction of two state-of-the-art propane vehicle refueling stations at Canyon Village and Mammoth Hot Springs; and the acquisition of four Ford bi-fueled propane pickup trucks. An upcoming pilot project to convert a fleet of classic yellow buses to propane is in the development stages.

PERC President Roy Willis was one of the many council representatives attending the ceremony just one day before a council meeting in nearby Big Sky, Mont. Willis spends the better part of most work days examining market segments for potential growth of propane consumption. He knows that one offers the long-term promise and public prominence of the national parks.

He also recognizes that Yellowstone, with its 1 million visitors each year, offers a unique starting point to demonstrate propane’s versatility and support of the Park Service campaign to preserve natural resources.

“What better place to begin than Yellowstone? It’s the gold standard of national parks. Or, as we like to say, the green standard. America environmentalism began here at Yellowstone and we’re very excited to be a part of this new frontier of clean energy development,” he said at the fuel cell dedication.

At the event’s conclusion, Willis observes how invigorating it is for council members to actually see and touch one of the promising projects they spend so much time discussing. The seeds of industry research and development dollars are starting to sprout.

Why Propane

As a non-toxic, clean burning and highly portable fuel that has been used in the parks for more than 50 years, propane would seem a natural fit for meeting the Park Service goals. Propane makes good sense on many fronts:

• There are three distinct types of customers to service – the park system itself (buildings, vehicle fleets), visitors (many of whom are heavy RV users) and concessionaires (often equalling the consumption of the park system).
• Most parks lack natural gas lines. Given the remote locations and the short seasons, it is unlikely that installing the infrastructure would ever be cost effective.
• As part of its commitment to be a leading federal agency to “go green,” the parks are looking to get away from diesel and fuel oil.
• Many parks have old oil-fired heating and water heating equipment that they are looking to replace.
• Park fuel consumption is highest in summer, adding precious off-season load for propane retailers.
• The vacation experience of 260 million visitors each year is an ideal way to expose homeowners who are unaware of propane’s benefits.
• High density areas of lodging, eating and recreation can be piped with propane to cut down the need for individual tanks and frequent deliveries.

Despite those isolated successes, however, Willis and other industry officials know they only scrape the surface of potential for fuel use in the park system. That’s why PERC last year funded a National Parks Initiative to identify motor fuel and energy creation project opportunities within the park system. Through that project, representatives from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy are working with our industry to promote education and awareness that demonstrate propane’s versatility and clean air applications.

The Plan

“It appeared to us that there was a huge opportunity to nurture relationships with the Department of Interior and the Park Service to develop a more comprehensive approach for propane use in the national parks,” explains Ira Dorfman, president of Dorfman & O’Neal Inc., a Washington D.C.-based energy and environmental consulting firm hired by PERC to facilitate the project.

“The message we got from PERC was they want to take holistic approach and build a business case for doing larger scale projects involving all aspects of fuel use in a park. That’s a big undertaking when you start looking at an individual park and all of its potential fuel uses, particularly a place like Yellowstone. You could devote months to developing a game plan for a place like that.”

The first challenge was to assess how much energy is being consumed in the parks overall, what projects use propane and how much infrastructure already exists. The answers to those basic questions were not readily available. While the Park Service has conducted periodic energy surveys over the years, there has not been a comprehensive review. Until now.

Working with Dorfman, the Park Service has developed and posted a survey on its website for all national parks to complete. By Thanksgiving, officials expect to have a grasp of each park’s fuel consumption and the potential for propane use. Each park will then be able to use its data as a basis for submitting project funding requests to PERC.

Dorfman hopes survey results will identify parks with some geographical and size balance that have an interest in dedicating the park almost exclusively to propane use.

“We really wanted to identify what the potential utilization of propane was in specific parks. That really was the purpose of our energy survey – to identify where there was an opportunity to develop a comprehensive master plan that would allow the park to run exclusively, or almost exclusively, on propane,” he says.

“It’s a big undertaking, but there’s a great reward at the end of the rainbow. In years past, if we were just trying to bite off a small piece, a lot of local propane suppliers legitimately would ask if it was worth it for them to spend the time and invest in a program where the return on investment was uncertain. If we can develop this in a way that makes good business sense, it’s going to be an easy decision for them to make.”

Show Me

Besides the survey, PERC has funded seven individual park projects to serve notice to the Park Service that the propane industry is committed to make this relationship work. The council is funding $248,000 of the $1.2 million project costs.

According to Terry Brennan, coordinator of the National Park Service’s Green Energy Parks Program, PERC’s funds speed its projects ahead of other proposals for energy conservation measures, renewable energy projects and alternative fuel vehicles.

“Nobody else has approached us to fund projects like this. We work for the federal government, so we can’t solicit funds. We’re very open to anybody who wants to give us the amount of money that PERC has given us to upgrade our facilities. It’s been wonderful.”

Brennan says the National Park Service is finally tackling a large maintenance backlog by pumping millions of dollars into park computers that will help inventory items such as gross square footage, types of insulation and types of windows. PERC dollars for the website energy survey contribute to that project.

“When PERC comes along and puts money on the table to help us fund that research, it’s very welcome. That takes the burden off possible funding that would have to come from a five- to 10-year plan,” he says.

The program to “green” the national parks favors no particular fuel. But despite growing momentum from competing energy sources, Brennan says there is plenty of opportunity for propane to work with the parks to spread its message about energy conservation and creative alternatives to the American public.

“What we bring to the table is the educational aspect of the national parks. We’re here to educate people on whatever the park was designated to be – whether it’s Mt. Rushmore, the Washington Monument or whatever,” he says.

“We have over 250 million international visitors come through our parks every year. What better way to teach people about those important topic than to have them see it used in the national parks?”

Yellowstone National Park, Montana/Wyoming
Funded partnership for the installation of a propane-fueled fuel cell demonstration project that provides electrical power to the facilities and operations at the park’s west entrance. Replace fuel oil tanks at the Grant Village Visitor Center with propane underground storage tanks. Install two propane refueling stations at the Conoco station in Canyon Village and the National Park maintenance facility in Mammoth Hot Springs. The park is buying four Ford bi-fueled propane pickup trucks. An upcoming pilot project to convert a fleet of classic yellow buses to propane-dedicated fueling is under development.

Glacier National Park, Montana
nstall a propane refueling infrastructure to fuel 33 historic Red Buses that take visitors on tours of the park.

Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia
Install propane generator to power visitor center in highly sensitive natural area.

Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota
Replace Visitor Center fuel oil boiler with an energy efficient propane boiler.

Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
Convert oil heaters in visitor and ranger cabins at remote sites to propane and install tanks.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Upgrade heating and air conditioning equipment at Chapin Mesa Historical District, replacing oil-fired furnaces in main park buildings with a central boiler/cooling plant.

Point Reyes National Seashore, California
Construct propane fueling station.

Zion National Park, Utah
Research and consult on earthquake actuated shutoff valves in propane distribution system.