California NGV Coalition Board Approves Legislative Agenda and 2017 Priorities

The California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition (CNGVC) announced that its board of directors has approved a plan to ramp up political engagement with state legislators and propose new alternative-fuel vehicle legislation that will improve NGVs’ cost-competitiveness and ensure that vehicle funding targets cleaning up the biggest sources of pollution.

“Our goal for 2017 is to ensure long-term opportunities for the industry as we continue to grow and develop new technologies that will help California meet its climate and clean air goals,” said Coalition President Thomas Lawson. “Our coalition will advocate for natural gas in vehicles of all classes, not just heavy-duty. It’s a priority to make sure we’re supporting a full range of uses.”

The Coalition’s strategy for increasing interactions between members and legislators starts with a lobby day in the spring and an aggressive advocacy calendar that will coincide with next year’s legislative deadlines. The board will also work to forge connections with legislators and their staffs that go beyond talking about bills.

The board agreed to pursue three legislative proposals in 2017. One is a weight exemption for natural gas trucks that would mitigate the extra weight of natural gas fuel tanks. The second would establish a tax credit for alternative fuel vehicles, with a focus on light- and medium-duty cars and trucks. The third would resolve statutory definitions of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and add a definition for lightweight vehicles; the Coalition believes that only class 7 and 8 trucks should be considered heavy-duty vehicles.

“We want state agencies to succeed in their efforts to meet the state’s clean air and climate goals, and we want them to be equitable in how they regulate and spend taxpayer dollars on technology to do that,” said Lawson.

In addition, the CNGVC board formally approved Cummins Westport and American Power Group as new board members.