The increasing popularity of natural gas as a transportation fuel in the U.S. was the subject of articles in two of the country’s leading newspapers this week. Both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times took a closer look at the advantages afforded by cleaner, cheaper, domestic natural gas, and, in doing so, each newspaper echoed key themes of the Pickens Plan.
For starters, there was the recognition that natural gas is an inexpensive transportation fuel that is currently being utilized by many countries globally with one notable exception: the United States, which also happens to be home of the world’s greatest natural gas reserves:
Cars and trucks powered by natural gas make up a significant portion of the vehicle fleet in many parts of the world. Iran has more than two million natural gas vehicles on the road. As of 2009, Argentina had more than 1.8 million in operation and almost 2,000 natural gas filling stations. Brazil was not far behind. Italy and Germany have substantial natural gas vehicle fleets. Is America next? – “Natural Gas Waits for Its Moment,” New York Times
The first sign of this switch is already visible in the U.S., courtesy of an important segment of the transportation sector – fleets of heavy trucks. This ties in with a key tenet of the Pickens Plan: decreasing the use of dirtier, more expensive diesel, and replacing it with cleaner, cheaper natural gas:
Home-improvement retailer Lowe’s wants its delivery company to shift all of its several hundred trucks to natural gas by 2017. P&G already has 7% of its trucks on gas and could reach as much as 20% within two years. UPS says it plans to buy 1,000 natural gas trucks by the end of next year. FedEx Corp. plans to shift 30% of its long-distance trucks to natural gas over the next decade. – “Truckers Tap Into Gas Boom,” Wall Street Journal
From bettering our balance of trade to encouraging domestic industries, greater use of natural gas has myriad benefits. One of the most important is environmental.
It may be years before the economic benefits of natural gas vehicles can be realized, but the environmental benefits appear to be immediate. According to the Energy Department’s website, natural gas vehicles have smaller carbon footprints than gasoline or diesel automobiles, even when taking into account the natural gas production process, which releases carbon-rich methane into the atmosphere. Mercedes-Benz says its E200, which can run on either gasoline or natural gas, emits 20 percent less carbon on compressed natural gas than it does on gasoline. – “Truckers Tap Into Gas Boom,” Wall Street Journal
In addition, the cost savings of using natural gas easily trumps gasoline and diesel fuel:
According to Energy Department price information from July, natural gas offers economic advantages over gasoline and diesel fuels. If a gasoline-engine vehicle can take you 40 miles on one gallon, the same vehicle running on compressed natural gas can do it for about $1.50 less at today’s prices. To that savings add lower maintenance costs. A study of New York City cabs running on natural gas found that oil changes need not be as frequent because of the clean burn of the fuel, and exhaust-system parts last longer because natural gas is less corrosive than other fuels. – “Natural Gas Waits for Its Moment,” New York Times
Read both stories yourself (subscriber content): Natural Gas Waits for Its Moment and Truckers Tap Into Gas Boom.