Talk is afoot that Amador County should house a compressed-natural gas fueling station.

Amador Regional Transportation System spokesman Terry Grillo told supervisors Tuesday that his agency wants to expand its fleet of buses. If and when an expansion was to be made that included CNG buses, a CNG fueling station would be necessary, he said.

Compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel is much greener than diesel or gasoline, but adoption of the progressive fuel has been slowed in California by the scarcity of CNG fueling stations. According to transit manager James Means, the nearest CNG station to Amador is in Rancho Cordova, some 35 miles distant from ARTS headquarters near Sutter Creek.

In requesting county supervisors' support, Means wrote, "This will position Amador County Transportation and ARTS as leaders in environmental responsibility and provide local impetus and infrastructure to support conversion of county, school-district and other public fleets to clean, inexpensive CNG fuel. CNG fuel costs average $1 less than diesel. CNG use as a fuel reduces vehicular exhaust emissions considerably."

A possible site is a closed auto dealership on Highway 49, Grillo said. Ideas include establishing a regional vocational-education center alongside a regional CNG-fueling facility.

"Funding is going to have to come from the federal government, so we have approached legislators," Grillo said.

County chief administrative officer Terri Daly told board members that Amador County's Congressional lobbyist, David French, would visit the county later this month to review the transit situation with an eye to securing federal money.

"This is a good idea for the future," said board Chairman Ted Novelli.

However, supervisors agreed that the idea is in its infancy and will need lengthy review. For example, District 2 Supervisor Richard Forster, who sits as well on the ARTS board, noted that the board still hasn't decided firmly on whether, when and how to expand the bus fleet.