House Energy Bill Would Accelerate Growth of NGV Fueling Infrastructure

WASHINGTON--The energy bill introduced today by the Democratic House Leadership -- the ‘‘Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act’’ – could play a major role in expanding the natural gas fueling infrastructure in the U.S., according to NGVAmerica. Specifically, the bill would: (1) extend and expand the existing income tax credit for installing natural gas fueling stations (including doubling the income tax credit for natural gas home fueling appliances); (2) create Energy Security Bonds for grants and low-interest loans to place natural gas refueling property at retail motor fuel stations; and (3) mandate that, by 2018, each retail fueling station owned by a major integrated oil company shall have at least one natural gas or other alternative fuel pump (and necessary infrastructure and storage facilities).

All of these provisions were originally as part of the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act (HR 6570), introduced in July by Reps. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) and Dan Boren (D-OK). “The NGV industry is deeply indebted to Reps. Emanuel and Boren for their leadership in supporting the growth of natural gas vehicles in America,” said NGVAmerica President Richard Kolodziej. “The industry is in discussions with auto manufacturers to produce and sell more NGVs here. A rapidly growing natural gas fueling infrastructure will facilitate those decisions.” The Emanuel/Boren bill also contains provisions that would substantially incentivize auto manufacturers to produce natural gas vehicles.

In 2007, natural gas vehicles displaced about 250 million gallons of gasoline in the US. The industry’s goal is to surpass 10 billion gallons by 2020. “With policy support like this from Congress, we could even do much better than that,” said Kolodziej. “A growing NGV market is good for America.”

NGVAmerica is a national organization dedicated to the development of a growing, sustainable and profitable market for vehicles powered by natural gas or biomethane. NGVAmerica represents more than 100 companies interested in the promotion and use of natural gas and biomethane as transportation fuels, including: engine, vehicle and equipment manufacturers; fleet operators and service providers; natural gas companies; and environmental groups and government organizations. For more information about NGVAmerica, visit our website at www.ngvamerica.org