This content was published: November 14, 1996. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
PCC Plans New Alternative Fuel Training Program
Photos and Story by Susan Hereford
Portland Community College has been designated as one of 13 training centers in the nation for alternative fuel vehicle maintenance technicians. The college went through a competitive process to be named as a provider of the new program. Training will be held at the college’s Sylvania campus in Southwest Portland.
"The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has said it cannot guarantee the production of enough petroleum beyond the year 2006 – only ten years away," said Dan Kidney, department chair of the Automotive Service Technology program at Sylvania Campus. "So the federal government is planning now for the time when gasoline will become very expensive.
"Natural gas-powered vehicles run cleanly. The fuel is fairly inexpensive and will help to eliminate the nation’s dependence on foreign fuels," Kidney said.
The new training will consist of a four-unit curriculum covering natural gas vehicles and natural gas component installation, emissions regulations and test procedures. The program will begin winter term 1997.
Technicians from Alaska, Montana, Northern California, Washington and Idaho as well as Oregon are expected to take the training, Kidney said. The two-level course is designed for 61 hours of instruction. Kidney and instructor Larry Adams received their training for the new program at West Virginia University.
The 1992 Energy Policy Act requires that a percentage of alternative fuel vehicles be purchased as part of 1997 fleets for some organizations. So technicians trained in the maintenance of these vehicles (AFVs) are already in demand, said Kidney.
Two-year funding for the course is through federal seed-money grants obtained by WVU. After that, tuition is expected to cover the cost.
For more information, call Dan Kidney at 977-8033.