WASHINGTON--September 2, 2012: NGVAmerica applauds the Administration"s decision to include additional regulatory incentives for NGVs as part of the new fuel economy and greenhouse gas rules finalized today. The new EPA and NHTSA rules cover light duty vehicles manufactured in model years 2017 -- 2025.
“Natural gas is abundant, economical and secure. These rules will help grow the use of NGVs faster.”
"These rules are important because they reward manufacturers for producing more NGVs and should help accelerate the introduction of light-duty NGVs here in the U.S.," said NGVAmerica President Richard Kolodziej. "These rules will play an important role in ensuring that consumers have more fuel options to choose from in the near future and will help this country reduce its reliance on foreign oil."
NGVAmerica and many other organizations supporting NGV growth submitted comments on the EPA and NHTSA rules, and a number of the industry recommendations were incorporated into the final rule. Because NGVs provide a significant greenhouse gas benefit, the rules provide added greenhouse gas credits to manufacturers for producing dedicated (natural gas-only) and bi-fuel NGVs. The rules also make changes in the way bi-fuel NGVs are treated so that the petroleum reduction benefits of these vehicles are more fully reflected in the credits manufacturers receive.
"Accelerating the use of domestically produced natural gas in vehicles is the fastest way to reduce our reliance on foreign oil," said Kolodziej. "Natural gas is abundant, economical and secure. These rules will help grow the use of NGVs faster."
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 120 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.