House Passes Sullivan Legislation to Enhance Research in Natural Gas Vehicles
Washington,
Jul 21, 2009 -
Washington, July 20 - Today, Congressman John Sullivan issued the following statement after the House passed legislation he introduced, H.R. 1622, which reauthorizes the Natural Gas Vehicle Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment program within the Department of Energy for five years. During this research and development period, natural gas conversion systems will be streamlined with federal requirements to make gas mileage in natural gas vehicles more efficient and emissions cleaner. H.R. 1622 overwhelmingly passed the House by a vote of 393-35.
“In 2008 alone, natural gas vehicles (NGVs) displaced over 300 million gallons of petroleum in the United States” Sullivan said. “I believe that natural gas must continue to play an important role in decreasing our dependence on foreign sources of oil and leading America to greater energy security. Natural gas is not just American made energy, its Oklahoma made energy - my legislation undoubtedly helps our state as we are one of the top natural gas producers in the nation, typically accounting for almost one tenth of the total U.S. production.”
Conducting natural gas vehicle research, development, demonstration and deployment will help to achieve three goals:
• Reducing American dependence on foreign oil. About 97 percent of natural gas used in the U.S. is produced in North America.
• Producing less greenhouse gasses. According to a study recently conducted for the California Energy Commission, NGVs produce up to 20 percent less greenhouse gases than diesel vehicles and up to 27 percent less than gasoline vehicles.
• Producing less urban air pollutants. Compared to gasoline and diesel vehicles, NGVs produce less air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and toxics. They also burn cleaner than gasoline reducing tailpipe emissions by up to 90%.
“To reach these goals, NGV research, development, demonstration and deployment is vital.” Sullivan said. “There are over 150,000 NGV’s on U.S. roads today and over 10 million worldwide. Increased NGV research, development, demonstration and deployment will only increase these numbers.”
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