What is your organization’s mission?

“Our mission is to move more people, more places, more often with more choices. Everyone should be able to move. We want to be the organization that helps all people, regardless of low or high accessibility, and make their lives easier by providing choices. 

On the sustainability side of our mission we began by looking at our fleet and set a goal to electrify the fleet in Ada County by 2030. We are likely going to meet that goal with our big buses. Our Orchard facility is set up to charge 72 buses, right now we have charging for 12 and hopefully 18 soon. We currently have 12 electric buses and are going to take 8 more starting in the late Fall or early Winter. We are also receiving $16 million to buy 5 more buses. One of our next projects to hit our goals is to get charging here at Main Street station and on street charging up on the upper deck of the station.”

Tell us about your organization’s clean transportation journey. Why is this important to you?

“We are getting ready to do a small contract to take a high-level look at our facilities and say where we should focus and what's the next thing after this fleet development. For instance, prior to electric we looked at compressed natural gas, which was the best propulsion on the market for climate and we’ll likely stay with compressed natural gas in Canyon County. To continue with our sustainability goals we are going to work with dairy farms who are interested in developing digesters so that they can take the waste and methane to create natural gas. With the overall fleet being diversified with a mix between natural gas and electric there will be better flexibility and less vulnerability.

Our organization's clean transportation journey is important because we are the biggest transit organization in the state of Idaho so we set the model. Being a leader in the state and in this industry is one important factor and the other is that it’s the right thing to do. Making our operation as sustainable as possible is the right thing to do and it's good business. With us sharing a lot of the same goals and mission as the City of Boise we really want to lean into their challenge as their partners to meet their climate goals. Our journey is that we try to do the right thing not just because it’s what you should do, but also as a leader in this state and region it's important to build relationships with similar minded organizations and see how we can support each other.“

Active Producing RNG projects in other states:

Victorville, California, 2022 - Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority

Portland, Oregon, 2017 - Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant

Longmont, Colorado, 2017 - Biogas Treatment and Renewable Natural Gas Fueling Station

Tacoma Washington, 2022 - Anaerobic Digester Biogas Treatment

Milford Utah, 2020 - Align Renewable Natural Gas Project

Phoenix, Arizona, 2020 - Wastewater Treatment Biogas-to-Renewable Natural Gas Facility

What inspires you most about the work you do?

“Everything. The people are great, the mission is great, knowing that you are providing for some people a lifeline that makes their life possible. Without transit they can’t travel and then can’t get to work, shop, make appointments, and they can’t do a lot of things. For me, it's just something I’ve cared about for many years and worked hard to try and make better from the outside, whether as a board member or a Boise City Council member. I’m excited because as CEO I can focus everything on this one issue, see how far I can take it, how far I can push it, and I’m really enjoying that.” 

How has the TVCCC helped your organization reach its goals for cleaner transportation?

“When the TVCCC was formed, we were still as a region facing a lot of fallout for not reaching nonattainment for air quality. A lot of effort was focused on cleaning up the air which included finding better energy solutions and limiting emissions. From that effort, Valley Regional Transit originally leaned into compressed natural gas because it was a step in the right direction. As TVCCC evolved, even though the air quality issue has become less of a regulatory mandate, I’ve seen the coalition be able to expand its focus a little bit in ways that have been helpful to us as we leaned into electric buses. A part of their help was bringing expertise surrounding energy and bringing information about the transition and what it's going to look like. They’ve brought education to some of our leaders so that those who might be skeptical otherwise can understand the benefits from both an environmental perspective as well as from a business standpoint and/or governance standpoint. As TVCCC continues to evolve, it provides a really good platform and springboard to make sure there’s a broad understanding of what we’re doing. At the same time they bring an expertise that helps us as we’re trying to make some of these difficult decisions.”

What advice would you give to an organization or business interested in the transition to cleaner fuels and fueling/charging infrastructure?

“Don’t be afraid. New technology is never perfect, just accept that there are going to be hurdles but the benefit is well worth it. The electric buses when we got them, people had comments, but now they’ve become the expectation. They are so much quieter and more comfortable to ride. We know that the things that we are doing at our facilities to improve the electricity infrastructure are going to pay off for others down the road. My advice is not to be worried about the naysayers, instead look for the co-benefits that you’ll bring, the benefits of the vehicles you are buying, and be proud to be a leader in bringing an industry forward. Be proud that you are pushing an industry forward that won’t move unless people are willing to lean in and learn the lessons you’ll need to reach the next step. If you are the kind of person who’s not afraid of that then do it.”

Any additional information you would like to share with the TVCCC community?

“Support for TVCCC allows this region and the whole state to continue to look forward and see what that new information is. At the same time they assist people who are using the technology that is available today. Supporting the" TVCCC helps all of us be able to make the transition towards cleaner transportation easier.”

Any other questions you’d like to answer that you wished I’d asked?

“One of the things that I’m hoping with our sustainability plan is to bring those projects outside of that one thing you are doing. Think about things that you can add or bring that will make everything better. For example, parking lots, what can we do to make those parking lots better? It could be to bring shade to them and ensure better drainage. You have to become hyper focused in order to do big projects such as electrifying the fleet but at the same time don’t forget the ancillary things that can also bring benefits.”