States push for natural-gas cars

[PoliticAverse]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The governors of Colorado, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Wyoming are teaming up to encourage U.S. automakers to develop affordable vehicles that run on natural gas, a valuable resource in each of their states.

Their plan is to start replacing thousands of vehicles in their state fleets with ones that run on natural gas, in turn driving demand for more filling stations and cars that run on alternative fuel, according to a memorandum of understanding the governors signed Wednesday.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper touted the idea as a market-driven way to build demand for natural gas-driven school buses, pickup trucks and vans while also supporting jobs, reducing U.S. reliance on foreign oil, cutting emissions, and providing fuel that is the equivalent of $1.25 per gallon cheaper than gasoline.

Read the rest: http://fuelfix.com/blog/2011/11/09/states-push-for-natural-gas-cars/

[postulater]

1. When the states can cut costs by demanding efficient vehicles

then you can afford to pay the teachers, firefighters and other public employees.

States have huge purchasing power. By demanding our state support our workers fairly, we are also driving the manufacturers toward sustainable products.

Save the union, save the economy, save the planet.

[kristopher]

2. No surprise they are all conservative governors...

This is a very poor choice in several ways. The primary one is that it continues the inefficiencies we see with internal combustion engines. If they were to promote shifting the heavy transport sector to Electric Drive powered by fuel cells run on reformed natural gas that would be a move in the right direction. There would be substantial efficiency gains, greatly reduced CO2 and particulate emissions and dramatically reduced fuel costs. But just shifting the personal transportation sector in these states to natural gas is little more than an attempt to throw a wrench in the effort to move to EVs.