Energy And Water Development And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOREN. I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, my colleagues may be familiar with an initiative I have been working on, the NAT GAS Act, to promote the use of natural gas fueled vehicles, particularly to replace traditionally fueled heavy- and light-duty trucks. I am a strong proponent of natural gas as an alternative fuel source because it is clean, abundant, cheap and readily available, and best of all, as T. Boone Pickens says, it's ours. According to a study by the Department of Energy, it is feasible to produce biomethane from landfills, sewage and animal waste, so one could even argue that it is renewable.

As we continue efforts to drive our country towards a cleaner transportation sector, natural gas vehicles are a natural fit. There is no single silver bullet solution to our transportation energy dilemma. All available alternatives to petroleum must be used in the marketplace and in an application where they make the most sense. For many of these applications, that means natural gas.

In 2008, NGVs displaced 250 million gallons of petroleum in the United States. With adequate support, by 2020, that could grow to 10 billion gallons, but the NGV industry is made up of mostly small companies. In order for the industry to achieve that growth potential in the time frame we need, more research is needed for vehicle integration, deployment, engine development, and cost reductions.

In 1992, Congress authorized a Vehicle Technologies Program to fund a wide range of research activities on passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks. The program's mission is to develop leapfrog technologies that will provide Americans with greater freedom of mobility and energy security while lowering costs and reducing impacts on the environment. Though natural gas vehicle research was funded through this program until fiscal year 2005, since then, there have been no DOE activities in this area.

My amendment would add $5 million in funding to this account for natural gas vehicle research. This is a relatively small investment for something that could easily move America towards a cleaner and independent energy future. I hope my colleagues will join me in launching a new direction in transportation fuel by supporting this amendment.

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