The Week in Gas: Week of July 16, 2012
The Week in Gas has been on a bit of a hiatus for the past month, blame it on the recent switch to our new website and making use of vacation time to get out of the office on Fridays to enjoy the (brief) Oregon summer. That said, we are back in business with some of the top natural gas stories that came across our desks, inboxes and twitter feeds over the past week…on to the links:
“Governor’s Press Detroit to Make Natural Gas Vehicles” (Forbes.com)
It hasn’t quite been the summer of the Natural Gas Vehicle but that could very well be coming to a road or driveway near you in 2013 (or 2014?). Seems like every week there’s an announcement regarding a new fueling station or natural gas engine technology but the pressure is still on and it momentum keeps building towards some big growth in the NGV sector.
Key Point: Motorists would save the equivalent of $1.50 to $2 per gallon on fuel, cars would pollute less and America would produce its own energy rather than relying on foreign oil, he said. “There are 26 states that have significant gas shale exploration so the jobs will be spread all over the country. Natural gas is cleaner, cheaper, keeps the world safer, and creates American jobs. So how do we get to that place?” he said.
“BC Transportation Players Fueling Natural Gas Trucks” (TranBC)
Just because I can never get enough NGV news, here’s another tidbit about the growing natural gas trucking market up in British Columbia, which NWGA member, FortisBC, is very involved with.
Key Point:
“The Supplier” a.k.a. FortisBC
B.C.’s network of natural gas fuelling stations has not yet developed to the extent of our southern neighbour, which already has more than 100 LNG stations across the country. But FortisBC recently announced a funding incentive program to encourage heavy-duty commercial fleet operators to purchase natural gas vehicles. This program includes funding for employee training and facility upgrades to safely maintain natural gas vehicles.
“Dependence on Middle Eastern Oil: Now it’s China’s Problem, Too” (The Atlantic)
What does all this new gas supply for the U.S.? We know it means less imports of foreign energy, the term “Energy Independence” is even being used when talking about North America. Here’s one reporter’s interesting take on the global implications of less foreign energy imports by our home continent.
Key Point: In other words, the U.S. shale gas boom is one, though not only, major factor in reducing the country’s use of oil and gradually weaning the country from relying on the Persian Gulf.
Finally a quick heads up, our Executive Director, Dan Kirschner, is now one of the experts on the “Energy & Environment” panel hosted by The National Journal. Dan will periodically be posting his responses to questions relevant to natural gas and our region so keep an eye out: http://energy.nationaljournal.com/
“The Week in Gas” is posted each Friday, spotlighting some of the most interesting gas related stories we come across each week.
Follow the NWGA on Twitter: @Ben_at_NWGA
Author: Ben
Published: July 20, 2012
Last Updated: July 20, 2012
