On the Road Again Pump Prices Revive Appeal of Natural Gas on Capitol Hill and in Detroit Motorists fuel their vehicles with natural gas in Salt Lake City. Fewer than 2,000 U.S. gas stations carry natural gas. By Jordan Weissmann Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, August 26, 2008; Page D01 In the early 1990s, all three major American automakers started building clean and efficient natural gas vehicles. But when a new federal law failed to create an expected guaranteed market, the momentum died. Today, only Honda sells a model in the United States -- and in minuscule numbers. Now, as drivers reel from the shock of high gasoline prices, natural gas vehicles are attracting renewed interest both on Capitol Hill and in Detroit. Proposed legislation and a new impetus at General Motors may bring a modest revival. -Skip- Natural gas vehicles run on a normal internal combustion engine but have a special, high-pressure fuel tank that is cheap to fill. In April, the equivalent of a gallon of compressed natural gas averaged $2.04, compared with $3.53 for gasoline. They also emit 20 percent less greenhouse gas and less than a third the amount of smog than petroleum-powered cars. .... The vehicles have some high-profile advocates. For months, T. Boone Pickens has plugged them as a key part of his plan to wean the United States off foreign petroleum. -Skip- Meanwhile, both Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) have introduced legislation that would help increase the number of natural gas pumps at fueling stations and boost the number of natural gas vehicles on the road. Many advocates, especially politicians, are attracted to natural gas because it is mostly a local resource. The United States gets 98 percent of its supply from domestic sources. And many think that recently discovered deposits of shale in Louisiana, Texas and under the Appalachian Mountains could keep the country self-sufficient for decades.
Motorists fuel their vehicles with natural gas in Salt Lake City. Fewer than 2,000 U.S. gas stations carry natural gas.
By Jordan Weissmann Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, August 26, 2008; Page D01
In the early 1990s, all three major American automakers started building clean and efficient natural gas vehicles. But when a new federal law failed to create an expected guaranteed market, the momentum died. Today, only Honda sells a model in the United States -- and in minuscule numbers.
Now, as drivers reel from the shock of high gasoline prices, natural gas vehicles are attracting renewed interest both on Capitol Hill and in Detroit. Proposed legislation and a new impetus at General Motors may bring a modest revival.
-Skip-
Natural gas vehicles run on a normal internal combustion engine but have a special, high-pressure fuel tank that is cheap to fill. In April, the equivalent of a gallon of compressed natural gas averaged $2.04, compared with $3.53 for gasoline. They also emit 20 percent less greenhouse gas and less than a third the amount of smog than petroleum-powered cars. ....
The vehicles have some high-profile advocates. For months, T. Boone Pickens has plugged them as a key part of his plan to wean the United States off foreign petroleum.
Meanwhile, both Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) have introduced legislation that would help increase the number of natural gas pumps at fueling stations and boost the number of natural gas vehicles on the road.
Many advocates, especially politicians, are attracted to natural gas because it is mostly a local resource. The United States gets 98 percent of its supply from domestic sources. And many think that recently discovered deposits of shale in Louisiana, Texas and under the Appalachian Mountains could keep the country self-sufficient for decades.
The United States gets 98 percent of its supply from domestic sources.
Canadians will be happy to know that their gas counts as "domestic" for the US... (they export roughly 3.7 tcf/y of gas to the US each year, or 100 bcm/y) out of a total consumption of 22 tcf (or around 600 bcm/y). 17%, in other words. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
It seems to me that at anything like current prices, market forces will encourage a longer term move to renewables, but CNG could help in the short term, especially for fleets. CNG-hybrids could be a good interim solution for school bus fleets, and other government vehicle fleets especially. As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
I would like to see something that puts the probable contributions of the more recent Barnett, Fayetteville and Haynes gas fields into clear context. As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
And the easiest way to reduce gas use is to burn coal in power plants... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
But everything is interim with fossil fuels. If there are adequate supplies for home heating and industrial uses as well as providing some significant portion of fuel for vehicular transportation, say 20%, for another 15 years, that would seem to be an adequate window for an interim CNG solution, especially for school bus fleets, etc. That is what I would like to see explored. That, and the degree of confidence, if any, that we could have in any answer. As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
