U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) introduced a bill this week that would give the same regulatory treatment to natural gas vehicles that is given to electric vehicles.
The bill, the Light-Duty Natural Gas Vehicle Parity Act of 2018, is the third natural gas transportation legislation in 90 days. It is a companion to a bill introduced by Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK).
“Our federal policies must encourage an all-of-the-above approach to our energy production and consumption, and this bill helps achieve that goal by requiring federal agencies to provide the same regulatory treatment currently provided to electric vehicles,” Johnson said. “As the world’s largest producer of natural gas, we must take full advantage of this abundant, job-creating resource.”
Renewable natural gas can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 130 percent, if not more, according to the California Air Resource Board.
Globally, there are 25 million natural gas vehicles, but only about 150,000 are in the United States, Tom Rastin, executive vice president of Ariel, a separable reciprocating gas compressors manufacturer, said.
Pick-up trucks and light-duty trucks represent nearly 70 percent of the market, or 10 million new natural gas vehicles annually, Harvey Lamm, co-founder of VNG, a compressed natural gas fueling service provider, said.
“Pick-ups and other light-duty trucks have a lower fuel economy, consume the most fuel and emit the most pollution, and for these vehicles, an electrification solution is challenging and uncertain due to their weight and utility,” Lamm said.