Florida Governor Rick Scott was joined by Leon County Schools Superintendent Jackie Pons, Nopetro CEO Jorge Herrera, Glenn and Lori Matthews and local officials at the groundbreaking ceremony for the 4 acre Compressed Natural Gas fueling facility in Tallahassee, Florida.

Governor Scott spoke on his commitment of more that 1 billion dollars in new spending for schools in this year's school budget. He praised local school officials for their willingness to partner with the private sector on innovative new plans. saying "This is what's great about Florida."

"I hope this works out well, and for Jorge, I hope it's the first of many across Florida."

Surrounded by brand new CNG fueled Thomas Built HDX school buses, Superintendent Pons spoke about the importance of utilizing the benefits of Alternative Fuels to save taxpayer money by reducing the school districts transportation costs. After five years of reviewing alternatives, the district selected Compressed Natural Gas as the solution with the most promise, tapping Tallahassee based Nopetro to build and run the facility. Nopetro is planning on building a network of fueling facilities across the state of Florida.

Nopetro CEO Jorge Herrera commented on the financial benefits of Compressed Natural Gas - primarily a lower cost per equivalent gallon when compared to traditional fuels. Compressed Natural Gas is currently selling for approximately $1.50 less at current prices. That alone is saving the school district $5,000 a year, per bus. CNG also reduces carbon pollution by 33 percent. The United States currently has more than a 100 year supply. Herrera also cited California's 300 CNG fueling centers and companies such as UPS, AT& T, Waste Management Company and Verizon making the switch to CNG fleets.

The facility, scheduled to open in August, will be constructed on 4 acres of a 25 acre tract of land that the School District owns and is currently developing for fleet operations. The Leon County School District currently operates 14 of the Thomas Built HDX CNG fueled school buses with plans to add an additional 30 units.