The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) made an equipment donation to the Blue Ridge Parkway as part of a contribution to the National Park Service‘s (NPS) overall Green Parks Plan.

PERC’s donation of propane-powered equipment totals more than $76,000 and includes three Ventrac compact tractor mowers with attachments and two Generac portable generators. The NPS Green Parks Plan is aimed at reducing energy consumption and mitigating effects of climate change.

Blue Ridge, which spans through 29 counties and four national forests in western North Carolina and Virginia, is the second national park to receive propane-powered equipment donations from PERC this year. Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky received a $62,000 donation of three John Deere zero-turn mowers, two Generac portable generators and a CleanFuel USA propane dispenser.

The Ventrac compact tractor mowers and generators are purely an addition to Blue Ridge’s investment in propane-powered equipment. The parkway also operates propane-heating systems, portable heaters, forklifts and four propane-autogas-powered pickup trucks.

“Through NPS directives, we have committed to making sustainable decisions and doing the right thing for the environment, and propane fits well into our initiative,” said Mark Woods, Blue Ridge superintendent. “We’re eager to get the equipment up and running.”