Because of the abundance of cheap natural gas in the United States, former geologist T. Boone Pickens highly recommends the use of natural gas for vehicles. He sets a good example by driving a CNG-powered Honda Civic which he refuels through the natural gas pipes in his home.
According to Pickens, the use of CNG-powered vehicles will help solve the oil addiction in the US. He also mentioned that the supply of natural gas in the US is three times greater than Saudi Arabia’s oil supply. If all the natural gas reserves are utilized to run vehicles, it will greatly reduce the dependency of foreign oil.
The Natural Gas Act is T. Boone Pickens’ plan as to how the US can be less reliant on importing oil from foreign countries. The Act which is sponsored by Congressman John Sullivan and Congressman Dan Boren promotes the use of natural gas as the best alternative to gasoline and diesel.
In order to encourage people and businesses to switch to natural gas powered vehicles, it was proposed that significant tax incentives must be given to natural gas users. The authors and sponsors of the act reiterate that using natural gas as a substitute for imported gasoline and diesel will not only help preserve the environment but will also help stimulate the US economy.
The Act proposes to convert most, if not all, 18-wheeler and other heavy duty vehicles into natural gas within a five or seven year period. In this way, the US will be able to save substantial amounts of money due to the cheaper cost of natural gas. The Natural Gas Act also proposed that the US government should lend the natural gas market a hand through subsidies.
Not everyone is on board with the Natural Gas Act. The Wall Street Journal and the Club for Growth opposes the Natural Gas Act that is endorsed by T. Boone Pickens. The Wall Street Journal argues that the debate is still out if our future cars will be ran on natural gas, batteries, or hybrids.
In other news, companies like Southwestern Energy’s, continue to promote the use of CNG Vehicles. The company has given away twenty one CNG-powered vehicles to some of its lucky employees. The company advocates and advises the public on the benefits of switching to CNG-powered vehicles. By the end of the year, the company commits that more than twenty percent of their pickup trucks and other vehicles will be running on natural gas. In addition, to show their full commitment to CNG, they have invested in three CNG refueling stations scattered around the state of Arkansas.
:: CNG Vehicles ::
[...] Pickens, among others, has been hot to have Congress devote taxpayers money to rolling out natural gas vehicles and refueling stations as a way of encouraging long-distance [...]