In Lombardy, several initiatives have already launched in the field of transport pollution control, e.g.:

• the January 2008 launch of the ECOPASS, a Road User Charging system for controlled access to down-town Milan, in which ticket payment is requested for access under video-camera controlled gates. The payment is proportional to the level of vehicle pollution (e.g. natural gas is free, all other vehicles pay in proportion to the EUROx engine level)
• since September 2006, the region of Lombardy has not allowed any new fuel pump station to be installed in the regional territory without including natural gas distribution
• the region has already participated successfully in tens of European-funded projects. Among the latest, ZERO REGIO has seen the region of Lombardy actively involved in hydrogen vehicles and distribution demonstration

As far as natural gas distribution is concerned, Italy is well positioned with regard to the European framework (it is the second in terms of number of NG – Natural Gas - fuel pumps, after Germany).

The region of Lombardy is today in fifth position in Italy for NG fuel pumps, but the first in terms of growth rate of the fuel pump network in the last 3 years.

The region of Lombardy is also the number one in Italy in terms of GPL – liquid gas – fuel pumps and overall the first in terms of growth rate in the last 3 years

Methane distributed in Lombardy is appreciably and constantly growing

• in 2006 and 2007, 24 plants started producing biogas in Lombardy, totalling up to 16.25 MW
• 80 plants are currently under construction
• 30 M€ of subsidies were distributed by the region of Lombardy for biogas production projects in 2007
• there are biogas production sites from biomass and landfills (from A2A spa in Brescia and Milan).