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>>> OGJ <<<

House members plan bill to expand NGV use
Nick Snow
OGJ Washington Editor

WASHINGTON, DC, Apr. 2 -- Legislation to significantly expand the use of natural gas as an alternative to conventional transportation fuel will be introduced, three US House members said on Apr. 1.

The measure's provisions will include an 18-year extension of three critical tax incentives which focus on gas as a transportation fuel, the purchase of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and the installation of commercial and residential gas refueling pumps, according to Reps. Dan Boren (D-Okla.), John B. Larson (D-Conn.) and John Sullivan (R-Okla.).

Currently, the alternative fuel credit expires at the end of 2009 and the vehicle and refueling pump credits expire at the end of 2010, they noted.

Known as the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions (NAT GAS) Act, the bill also would create a new tax credit for automakers which produce natural gas and bi-fueled vehicles, the three federal lawmakers said. Currently, all major automakers manufacture NGVs for overseas markets and this provision is critical to encourage them to begin offering NGVs in the United States, they said.

[...]

[TheDude]

Hate the name, too cutesy.

This was DOA when sponsored by the Rahmster last July. H.R. 6570 [110th]: New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act (GovTrack.us) Wonder if it will fare better this time. NG is, after all, a clean burning alternative to fossil fuels according to the House Speaketrix.

[copious.abundance]

I'm guessing it will have better luck under the current congress and administration than the last one.

And to be honest, I think all these shale plays (and the jobs, etc. they bring) have probably become enough of an enticement to more congressmen (and women) to promote NGV's because they realize increased use of NG will set forth a drilling boom in their districts and states, and create more jobs and so on. These things have become big enough that they're as much of an economic development tool as an energy-producing tool.

Look for senators and congressmen from OK (already there), PA, WV, LA, TX and maybe even upstate NY to be big supporters of this.

[TheDude]

Salazar's well committed to at least toning down the party, though. Rolling Stone has a new piece on his anti-drilling stance, not to mention the coke fiends at the MMS: Obama's Sheriff : Rolling Stone

A third of RIK staff members, the investigation found, accepted illicit gifts from the industry. Others "used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relations with oil and gas company representatives." One pair of government-employees-gone-wild, celebrated among oilmen as the "MMS Chicks," partied hard during corporate snowboarding trips — one got so drunk at a ski resort that Shell had to put her up for the night in its "Dutchman Haus" chalet — and repeatedly had sex with representatives for Chevron and Shell. The "Chicks" did not recuse themselves from negotiations with the companies. Worse, they allowed Chevron and other firms to revise the terms of 118 contracts that had already been finalized — favors to the industry that cost taxpayers $4.4 million.

As Obama's man at interior, Salazar has wasted no time in creating real change. In his first weeks on the job, the secretary delighted critics on the left by canceling 77 oil and gas leases that Bush had authorized near Utah's national parks, including ones that would have put oil derricks within eyesight of both Arches and Dinosaur. Salazar also delayed Bush's timeline for opening the Eastern seaboard and California coast to drilling — terming it "a headlong rush of the worst kind." And he shelved Bush's plan for oil-shale mining in the Rockies, announcing instead an aggressive initiative to develop renewable-energy installations on federal lands.

The new administration, Salazar tells Rolling Stone, is seeking to recoup the billions in federal revenue lost to "royalty relief" by implementing a new excise tax on drilling profits in the Gulf. And he pledges a thorough review of Interior's royalty policies — for both onshore and offshore drilling — to ensure the American people receive a "fair market return" in exchange for natural resources. "We are pursuing a 21st-century land and water conservation effort that will hopefully surpass what Teddy Roosevelt did for this country almost 100 years ago," Salazar says.

[copious.abundance]

Those particular Utah oil and gas leases were on scenic land which even I might have been inclined to leave alone. I think his opposition to drilling stems more from oil drilling, not necessarily gas drilling.

[copious.abundance]

Just for reference sake, I'm going to post this link to the gov't webpage which tracks this bill, to make it easier to follow its status:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1835

[copious.abundance]

Looks like the Senate is getting in on the action too.

>>> LINK <<<

U.S. lawmakers offer bill to spur natural gas vehicles
Wed Jul 8, 2009 2:33pm EDT
By Ayesha Rascoe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled legislation aimed at helping the nation wean itself off foreign oil by providing financial incentives for the use of vehicles fueled by natural gas.

Sponsored by Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, the bill would extend for 10 years tax credits for purchasing vehicles that run on natural gas and installing natural gas refueling stations.

"We saw last summer how the wild fluctuations in oil prices helped to wreck our economy, and we've seen how pollutants from dirty fuels are wrecking our planet," Menendez said at a press conference.

[...]

A longer article is here.