Senate Finance Committee Hearing on NGVs

On Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure held a hearing on Natural Gas Vehicles: Fueling American Jobs, Enhancing Energy Security, and Achieving Emissions Benefits. The hearing featured testimony from a panel of distinguished industry representatives including five NGVAmerica members:

• Robert Carrick, Natural Gas Sales Manager, Daimler Trucks North America, Portland, Oregon
• Mike Whitlatch. Senior Director of Global Energy and Procurement, UPS, Atlanta, Georgia
• Ronald W. Jibson, Chairman, President, and CEO, Questar, Salt Lake, Utah
• Rich Kassel, Senior Vice President, East Coast Operations, Gladstein, Neandross & Associates, New York, New York
• Harrison Clay, President, Clean Energy Renewable Fuels, Newport Beach, California
• Joseph A. Calabrese, CEO, General Manager, and Secretary-Treasurer, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Cleveland, Ohio

In addition to testifying concerning how their companies are actively promoting the expanded use of NGVs, many of the speakers also touched on the critical importance of correcting the LNG highway excise tax penalty, and the need to extend the alternative fuel and infrastructure credits. The witnesses also addressed and were questioned on a wide range of issues including the status of NGV technologies, the environmental benefits of NGVs, and the higher cost of the vehicles. Senator Cornyn (R-TX) specifically questioned speakers regarding how correcting the LNG excise tax would impact the Highway trust fund.

Information and a link on the hearing has been added to a new page on our website located on our Federal Legislation page: http://goo.gl/9RBNrY. The testimony of each of the six witnesses is listed there as well. A full video of the hearing can be found here: http://goo.gl/2vpCl8.