So three Republicans and a Democrat walk onto a car lot …
Actually, there’s not a punch line.
Rather, it’s a set-up for an applause line for the Democratic governor of Colorado and his GOP counterparts from Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Oklahoma for promising to convert portions of their state transportation fleets to vehicles that run on compressed natural gas.
While some might lament the deal announced last week as government intrusion into the marketplace, we look at it as encouragement for a key industry and a step in the right direction.
“We aren’t proposing massive subsidies, we are just trying to find common sense ways to address the market barriers that have been there,” Gov. John Hickenlooper said.
“Vehicle procurements on this scale will provide a way to create energy independence, promote jobs and utilize a less-expensive, cleaner-burning fuel,” he added.
We agree.
Given the role of gas in each state, it’s sensible that they would lead they way on pushing for greater use of CNG in automobiles. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the states were among the leaders nationally in natural gas production in 2009, with Wyoming coming in at No. 2, Oklahoma at No. 3, Colorado No. 5 and Pennsylvania No. 12.
And natural gas has benefits over gasoline in that it is cheaper, cleaner-burning and, since it is produced domestically, can reduce dependence on foreign oil.
But making the jump from government fleets to suburban garages may prove difficult.
Natural gas-powered vehicles are not produced in mass quantities and stations where they can be refueled are few and far between. Currently, Colorado is home to 29 CNG stations, most of which are in the Denver area.
That’s the proverbial chicken-and-egg dilemma that the memo of understanding between the gas-patch governors aims to address.
But governments have the benefit of being able to install gas pumps in their motor pools, whereas commuters will need CNG to be as readily available as diesel and other fuels in order for natural gas-powered cars to catch on commercially.
Our hope is that additional demand from the public sector will increase production and make it so that more of the vehicles can find their way into the private sector.
While the devil is in the details (there is no specific commitment to a number of vehicles or a time frame for purchases, for example), the governors deserve credit for bringing their energy to the energy discussion.
