President Obama calls for push on natural gas vehicle adoption and new technology
26 January 2012
In remarks made at UPS in Las Vegas, Nevada, President Barack Obama urged getting more natural gas vehicles on the road. He said that while the federal government can lead by example, “we’ve got to help not only the federal government but also local governments upgrade their fleet. If more of these brown trucks are going green, more city buses should, too. There’s no reason why buses can’t go in the same direction.”
The President also called for new tax incentives to help companies (such as UPS) buy more clean trucks, and for continued government partnering with the private sector to develop up to five natural gas corridors along US highways.
These are highways that have natural gas fueling stations between cities, just like the one that folks at UPS, South Coast Air and Clean Energy Fuels are opening today between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. That’s a great start. So now one of these trucks can go from Long Beach all the way to Salt Lake City. And they’re going to be able to refuel along the way.
And finally, to keep America on the cutting edge of clean energy technology, I want my Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, to launch a new competition that encourages our country’s brightest scientists and engineers and entrepreneurs to discover new breakthroughs for natural gas vehicles.
—President Obama
Go for it!
Posted by: TM | 26 January 2012 at 05:02 PM
"The President also called for new tax incentives to help companies".....that's a little out of character isn't it?
Posted by: ejj | 26 January 2012 at 05:25 PM
Natural gas local trucks and LNG/DME long haul trucks would really reduce imported oil a lot right away. The jobs to convert the trucks and install the stations would help as well.
Posted by: SJC | 26 January 2012 at 09:07 PM
Tax incentives work in this case because there is no development to be done, it is proven technology. In the case of bio fuels, there is a lot of scaling up and prove out. There are risks associated with it, but I believe most people are willing to take those minor risks for energy security.
Posted by: SJC | 27 January 2012 at 08:48 AM
Anybody remember the Pickens Plan?
4 years old and counting.
Posted by: ai_vin | 27 January 2012 at 09:52 AM
Oh yes, I was one of the first group of people to sign up. It was a good idea the summer of 2008 and it is a good idea now. It got a bit muddled with the wind turbine and water rights issues, but the NG for trucks was right on.
Posted by: SJC | 27 January 2012 at 10:18 AM
In the next stimulus, Obama should pay to convert every school bus in the nation to natural gas. It is a shovel (wrench) ready project that can help everybody.
Posted by: JMartin | 27 January 2012 at 12:21 PM
JMartin: that is definitely a feel-good plan but you forgot about refueling infrastructure. If you don't do the refueling infrastructure first for all the nation's school districts, this will turn into a major boondoggle.
This for SJC so he doesn't need to post it: "But, but BUSH!" "Iraq!" "trillions for war!" "BUSH!"
Posted by: ejj | 27 January 2012 at 03:49 PM
You do need to get some perspective, you are the one ranting about grants and loan guaranties for renewable energy when you sat by and watched Iraq unfold and unravel the whole country.
Posted by: SJC | 27 January 2012 at 04:49 PM
ejj: Refueling infrastructure should be relatively easy. The buses all return to the school twice a day.
Posted by: JMartin | 27 January 2012 at 06:59 PM
Any building heated by natural gas already has most of the refueling infrastructure needed.
As for the rest; http://www.brcfuelmaker.it/indexeng.asp
Posted by: ai_vin | 27 January 2012 at 09:37 PM
ejj often comments without much thought.
Posted by: SJC | 28 January 2012 at 09:39 AM
USA could probably produce more NG/SG than crude oil. So, why not convert a few million fuel guzzlers (10+ years ago)
Posted by: HarveyD | 30 January 2012 at 12:15 PM