(Photo by Andrew Walsh on Flickr)
A trio of House members introduced a bill on April 1st that would accelerate the transition nationwide from vehicles powered by fossil fuels to CNG vehicles. Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK), Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) and Rep. John Larson (D-CT) co-sponsored the New Alternative Transportation to Give American Solutions (NAT GAS) Act or HR 1835 to demonstrate bipartisan support for alternative fuels. HR 1835 was referred to the House Science and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform and Ways and Means Committees for further review in the near future.
The cornerstone of the NAT GAS Act is the continuation of tax incentives encouraging natural gas usage on American roads. HR 1835 would extend three incentives for an additional 18 years if passed including a provision to reduce taxes for individuals and businesses using natural gas as primary fuels for their vehicles. The 18-year extension would also broaden tax incentives for those looking to purchase CNG cars, trucks and SUVS and install fueling stations for CNG vehicles. Boren, Sullivan and Larson included a provision in the legislation to focus tax incentives on local, county and state agencies interested in CNG fleet purchases. The bill’s sponsors are anxious to get HR 1835 passed as all three tax breaks would lapse by the end of 2010.
The NAT GAS Act may focus largely on the consumer end of natural gas usage but its sponsors wanted to encourage manufacturers to develop new vehicles and infrastructure. In addition to the reduction in costs for consumers, the NAT GAS Act would provide grants to developers of cars, pickup trucks, construction machinery and heavy equipment running entirely on natural gas. HR 1835 would also encourage the Big Three and foreign automakers working on American soil to create natural gas vehicles with targeted tax incentives based on the production of CNG and hybrid vehicles.
The testing ground for the implementation of the NAT GAS Act may be the federal government based on the bill’s language. House and Senate approval of HR 1835 would force the federal government to ensure that 50% of its new vehicle purchases are powered by natural gas, creating a demand for thousands of vehicles in the foreseeable future. While the committee process can be cumbersome, a bill like HR 1835 seems innocuous enough to move quickly through a Democratic House. As the debate has moved from ethanol to natural gas, we can only hope that more attention will be paid to EV infrastructure, solar power and other forms of energy to create a diversified transportation system.
Nick Katers is a freelance writer based out of Milwaukee, WI. He has written business profiles for TrenchMice and interviewed entrepreneurs and leaders for The Internationalist Magazine. Katers holds a Masters in American History ...
I think that this is a good idea, but I think that more research needs to be done on this.
Responses to chris1203
There has been a lot of research done on natural gas compared to other means of fueling vehicles. In fact, studies show that natural gas as a fuel is more environmentally friendly than using battery-powered cars charged from coal-fired plants, for example. It’s cleaner than gasoline, cleaner than ethanol produced with other fuels, and cleaner than charging hydrogen fuel cells with hydrogen from other fuels. I guess the catch here is that all these technologies currently depend on other fuels, like coal or oil for their production, while natural gas is independent of them. Also, the gaseous natural gas won’t pick up contaminants like sulfur, nitrates, and metals like liquids and solids do.
http://www.pickensplan.com/news/2009/11/30/national-academy-of-sciences-report-highlights-benefits-of-ngvs/
Natural gas is s fossil fuel! its not clean, its 21 times the warming potential and its not renewable. Most is currently imported and it will lead to a increase in cost to consumers as this get rich scheme of Pickens bears fruit
Responses to NoMoreGreenWashing
Pickens is already quite wealthy Im not sure why he would only be after money considering he is 81 yrs old. ither way he is right we need to get off of foreign oil its unsustainable into the future
Thank you, NoMOreGreenWashing. I don’t know much about natural gas. I fail to see what good switching to natural gas would really do for us.
Tax benefits are nice, but how about the $200k EPA fee to certify a make and model car for conversion with a specific kit? It’s a bit ridiculous, in my opinion.
This is a good idea. Natural gas releases 90% less pollutants that diesel. And that 21 number you are referring to is methane compared to CO2. But that is only applicable if the natural gas (which is 98% methane) is released directly to the atmosphere. However, it is burned in an engine which solves the problem. It also can be produced from waste products so yes it can be renewable. Finally it is cheap and plentiful in this country.
Natural gas as an alternative fuel for vehicles is a good idea. First, unlike what NoMoreGreen said above me, The United States does not need to import it, in fact according to some studies the USA has more natural gas than other country on the planet. As of right now we are able to produce far more natural gas than we are able to use. Secondly, it is a proven technology that will cut emissions right now. Not ten years from now, not three years from now, right now. Also it is not a pie in the sky solution, it will work now, and does work now. Over 20k vehicles, including large buses, semis etc are powered by natural gas in the USA. Third, it does not release NOx, wiki that if you need to, but it is the nasty stuff that pours out of our oil based big diesel 18-wheelers.
There are several more reasons I could enumerate but I imagine you are getting the picture.
But to be honest, what really sells this idea to me is that natural gas is so abundant in the USA. If a large percentage of our vehicles are converted that is money that we can keep in America instead of shipping it over seas to places we have already made rich. We need every penny we can get right now.