Clean Energy Fuels Corp. signed an agreement with The Hertz Corp. to build, operate and supply a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station on Hertz-owned property adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

The new Clean Energy CNG fueling facility, available 24/7 for public access, will support the expanding Hertz fleet of clean-burning CNG airport shuttle buses.

Hertz currently deploys CNG airport buses at its LAX location to transport its rental car customers to and from airline terminals.

"This new Hertz partnership will allow Clean Energy to build a much needed second public fueling station at LAX, while providing fuel service to a premier rental car company in the United States," said James Harger, Clean Energy's chief marketing officer. "The transition by the airport industry and allied services from diesel to natural gas fuel for ground transportation is accelerating rapidly, in response to the need to curtail emissions, decrease fuel costs, and reduce dependence on imported oil."

The Hertz LAX facility will include public access fueling islands for local fleets of CNG taxis and shared-ride vans, plus hotel, parking and rental car buses. A private Hertz island will be capable of fueling its internal fleet simultaneously. Station construction is expected to begin in March 2011 with opening slated for early third quarter of 2011. By 2015, Hertz expects to have transitioned its entire LAX transit bus fleet to CNG gas power.

Clean Energy now operates a large-volume, high-traffic LAX-adjacent public access CNG station that serves light, medium and heavy-duty fleet vehicles in the area, including rental car buses for Hertz.

"The addition of the new Hertz station to our existing LAX fueling infrastructure will help Clean Energy meet fast-growing CNG fueling demands from operators of airport-related taxi, shared ride vans, hotel, other rental car and private parking shuttle fleets," Harger said