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US DOE’s position on natural gas vehicles

Hydrocarbon Engineering,


On 25th July the APGA sent a letter to US DOE Secretary Chu requesting that the DOE clarify its position on NGVs. This has been requested as recently, Dr David Greene of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory testified before the US Senate Energy Committee with an anti NGV hearing entitled ‘Natural Gas and Transportation.’ Oak Ridge is part of the DOE and it was therefore surprising to the APGA to see Dr Greene question the long term benefits of NGVs, oppose natural gas as a solution to the US transport sector and oppose the construction of a NGV infrastructure.

Dr Greene’s testimony

‘It would probably not be worthwhile to deploy a full scale natural gas refuelling infrastructure…although natural gas produces lower tailpipe GHG emissions than petroleum, those emissions are not low enough to meet the reductions that will be required in the future to protect the global climate.’

Pro NGV

The statement of opposition is a stark contrast to DOE’s stated support for the emissions reductions benefits of NGVs and for the long term deployment of NGV technology. DOE’s Alternative Fuels Centre says, ‘natural gas emits approximately 6 – 11% lower levels of GHGs than gasoline throughout the fuel life cycle.’ A potential 11% reduction in GHGs establishes the emissions reduction benefit of NGVs and is a significant contributor to meeting long term emissions reduction goals rather than the obstacle Dr Greene makes them out to be. Also, the DOE recently awarded US$ 30 million in funding for the R and D of next generation NGVs.

Adapted from press release by Claira Lloyd.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/27072012/doe_stance_on_ngvs/

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