Natural Gas Conversions Could Cost a Couple Hundred
You could pick up the phone and get rid of this licensing fee. It’s pretty simple to tell congress what needs to be done; even if you think you don’t know who to call.
The congress switchboard at (202) 224 3121 can connect you with your Senator if you know your state, and if you give your zip code; they’ll know who your Representative in the House is.Their staffers have to note what your call is about. (You might mention that even Iran can cheaply convert a quarter million vehicles to run on CNG.)
Right now is a good time too, since a few days ago congress added incentives for natural gas vehicle conversions in one of the few bipartisan votes in the last 30 years (because this benefits the fossil industry – natural gas is tied to oil – while still reducing the carbon footprint of fossil fuel.)
And these are great incentives for those who can use tax breaks, but that assumes you have a job that’s paying enough to owe taxes. So many of us don’t, now.
These incentives won’t be as much help to the dirt poor, who have no tax credits. A housemaid who has to drive 30 rural miles to a part time Motel 6 job would just not be able to afford to convert her gas hog, even with the new tax credits passed.
Via The Oil Drum
Image via JeroenKoning
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August 1st, 2009 at 6:14 am
Finally some great advice on how to improve our environment and put people back to work in our country! Where is the petition to back this program?Has anyone looked at what the immediate impact this could have for our country if the laws where changed to allow conversions to natural gas!!!Wake up America to the reality that driving around in clown cars run on electricity is not feasible to everybody. We need options and the more immediate the better.
August 1st, 2009 at 7:36 pm
We should require our elected congressional personnel to void two bad laws before they are allowed to pass a new law.
The nation must agree that the voided law was actually bad.
August 2nd, 2009 at 3:40 am
I think I’ll just stick to hypermilling until the price comes down.
August 6th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
A very good answer to this problem could be: cross the border, come to Mexico and for $1000 USD give or take a few bucks, you can have tour HUMMER converted to natural gas, and keep the option to run on gasoline if required!!
August 16th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Old and busted: running you car on one fossil fuel.
New hotness: running your car on a different fossil fuel?
December 16th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
The nice thing about natural gas is we can make it at waste processing centers (i.e. – turn our poop into fuel instead of releasing carbon dioxide directly back to the environment without any use or benefit). Remember the pigs in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” – Tina Turner driving an Aussie hotrod on fermented pigcrap gas has to mean something!
December 18th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
I suppose Congress will act on this issue the moment Saudi Arabia finally decides, at their whim, to stop exporting oil (probably due to peak oil effects).
Then, we’ll probably see an “emergency” explosion of CNG conversions as a quick way to get back up and running with existing automobiles.
In any case, I think the best strategy is to, as quickly as possible, move to EV’s and Biofuel burning hybrids that are at least carbon-neutral, reserving CNG for use in backup electric power generation, where it’s most efficiently and cleanly used and CO2 sequestration of it’s emissions can be done much cheaper.
Perhaps this is the strategy our leaders are actually following, hence the suppression of CNG conversions? That would make sense…
January 11th, 2010 at 11:16 am
This is why people need to wake up to what the EPA is really all about. NOT the environment, but how to get between average people and their wallets.