DEER CREEK (OBV) — Every dollar Deer Creek Public Schools avoids spending on fuel is a dollar that can remain available for teachers, classrooms, and students.
A new compressed natural gas fueling system installed by B&H Construction could keep between $350,000 and $400,000 a year in the district’s budget. Oklahoma’s Clean-Burning Motor Vehicle program allowed B&H to provide the infrastructure at no cost to the school district.
Once fully operational, the system will let Deer Creek fuel its buses on site for less than $1 per gasoline gallon equivalent.
Oklahoma has powered the country for generations. The Deer Creek project shows how the state can put that energy advantage to work closer to home, turning abundant natural gas into lower costs for schools, jobs for Oklahoma workers, and more education dollars directed toward students.
B&H Project Manager Kent Jackson said the initial station was installed in about three weeks, with additional slow-fill posts planned along several rows of the district’s bus yard. The layout will allow buses to connect at the end of the day and refuel gradually overnight.
The result is a system designed around the way a school fleet already operates. Drivers can return buses after completing their routes, connect them to the fueling equipment, and have them ready for the following day.
For Deer Creek, the convenience comes with substantial savings.
Depending on market conditions, the district could operate buses on CNG for approximately 70 to 90 cents per gasoline gallon equivalent. B&H developed a business case projecting annual savings between $350,000 and $400,000 as Deer Creek expands its use of the fuel.
Brian Beller, manager and director of government affairs for B&H Construction, said he hopes the Incentive Evaluation Commission and the broader public recognize what the program makes possible for Oklahoma schools.
“This program saves Oklahoma schools an incredible amount of money,” Beller said. “They can drive for less than $1 a gallon, and it is at no cost to the schools.”
A business model with a public return
B&H’s experience with CNG extends across its own fleet and its work with Oklahoma schools. The company operates several hundred CNG-powered trucks and completed its first school project about a decade ago, followed by work with Cushing Public Schools roughly a year later.
Beller said B&H became more intentional about expanding its school transportation work during the past three years. The company now completes hundreds of school-bus conversions annually, using the Clean-Burning Motor Vehicle program to make the technology available to schools, churches, and nonprofits.
Beller spent about 15 years working in public education. He said the company views its work with schools and community organizations as a way to give back while building a sustainable line of business.
The Clean-Burning Motor Vehicle program is central to that model. It allows B&H to provide vehicle conversions and fueling infrastructure to organizations that may otherwise struggle to absorb the upfront cost.
For school districts, the return comes through lower operating expenses and greater control over transportation budgets.
That benefit can be especially significant for rural schools, where buses travel longer routes and fuel represents a larger share of district costs. As daily mileage rises, so does the potential savings from using a lower-cost fuel.
Instead of spending that money at the pump, districts can direct it toward personnel, instruction, facilities, and other student needs.
Beller said the technology also gives schools flexibility. Districts can use CNG as a cost-effective primary fuel while retaining the ability to use gasoline or diesel when needed.
Creating room for second chances
The program also supports jobs inside B&H, including opportunities for people who may face employment barriers because of past convictions or difficult life circumstances.
Some employees work directly at project sites, while others complete bus conversions and related work at the company’s warehouse.
Beller said those positions allow B&H to employ people who may not qualify for every job across its broader construction operations. Developing people, he said, is central to the company’s purpose.
The clean-burning vehicle work gives employees an opportunity to build technical skills, earn stable employment, and establish a new direction.
That adds another layer to the program’s return. The incentive supports the workers who convert buses, install equipment, maintain fueling systems, and help schools operate the technology.
At Deer Creek, one project connects several Oklahoma priorities: reducing costs for public schools, supporting an Oklahoma business, creating jobs, expanding second-chance employment, and using a resource produced abundantly within the state.
Putting an Oklahoma resource to work
Oklahoma’s natural gas supply has helped power homes, businesses, and industries across the country for generations.
The Deer Creek project applies that resource to one of the most routine responsibilities of local government: getting students safely to and from school each day.
Rather than viewing natural gas only through the scale of pipelines, production fields, or national energy markets, the project demonstrates its value one school bus at a time.
“Oklahoma is blessed with a great resource of natural gas, and this program is a great way to take advantage of our natural resources,” Beller said.
The Clean-Burning Motor Vehicle program is among the state incentives under review by the Oklahoma Incentive Evaluation Commission.
For Beller, the Deer Creek project offers a visible example of what the program delivers: infrastructure provided at no cost to the school, fuel priced below $1 per gallon equivalent, projected annual savings approaching $400,000, and work for Oklahomans who may otherwise struggle to find an opportunity.
The fueling station is ultimately a means to a broader end.
It allows an Oklahoma company to use the state’s energy resources and its own expertise to help a school district spend less moving buses and keep more money focused on students.
