BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Aqua America Chairman and CEO Nicholas DeBenedictis said that the
company's sustainability efforts are representative of the water-energy
nexus that is taking place across the country. DeBenedictis' statement
was made as he moderated the organization's "Policy and People,
Legislative and Regulatory Affairs" panel.
"Who would have thought a decade or more ago that water companies would
be providing the ‘fuel' necessary to extract the natural gas from the
earth needed to fuel not only homes, but automobiles," DeBenedictis
asked rhetorically. "Ensuring that water is delivered to drillers
through an environmentally conscious and efficient method has required
water companies like Aqua America and gas companies to develop a
collaborative infrastructure from which local communities and drillers
have already realized the economic benefits."
DeBenedictis was referring to its joint venture with Penn Virginia
operating subsidiaries, which constructed and operates a private
pipeline system to supply fresh water to certain natural gas producers
drilling in the Marcellus Shale in north-central Pennsylvania. Aqua has
supported a CNG fleet for more than a decade, purchasing its first
bi-fuel pickup in 1997.
"In addition to ‘fueling' the natural gas industry, we are also using
the natural gas to fuel our fleet. Since 2011, we have invested nearly
$3 million in CNG through vehicle purchases and the construction of
time-fill fueling stations," said DeBenedictis. Aqua has committed to
transitioning its Pennsylvania large vehicle fleet to CNG within 5 years.
"Investment in energy infrastructure will enable Pennsylvania to play a
key role in the energy and economic development that will assure a
vibrant economic future for our country," said DeBenedictis. "We live in
an energy-rich state and with smart and prudent infrastructure
investment, we can assure a healthy economic future that includes, among
other things, energy independence and living-wage jobs for residents
throughout the Commonwealth."
Aqua America is one of the largest U.S.-based, publicly traded water
utilities and serves nearly 3 million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio,
North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and Virginia. Aqua
America is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol
WTR. Visit AquaAmerica.com
for more information, or follow Aqua on Facebook at facebook.com/MyAquaAmerica
and on Twitter at @MyAquaAmerica.
WTRG
Aqua America
Donna Alston
O: 610-645-1095
M: 484-368-4720
DPAlston@AquaAmerica.com
Source: Aqua America
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