NGVAmerica commended U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) for introducing S. 1355, a bill that will increase the production of natural gas vehicles (NGV) by improving parity among alternative fuel vehicles without taxpayer subsidies. The original bipartisan cosponsors of the bill include U.S. Sens. Mark Begich (D-AK), Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Robert Casey (R-PA).

The bill encourages the production of more bi-fuel NGVs by amending the requirements imposed on automakers to meet the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard. Currently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) light-duty vehicle rules for greenhouse gases and fuel economy base the fuel economy of bi-fuel vehicles on a 50/50 fuel-use assumption and places limits on the number of credits that can be earned.

In contrast, dedicated NGVs assume a 100 percent fuel use and are not subject to limits on credits. S. 1355 expands the definition of dedicated NGVs to include vehicles with a reserve gasoline tank to be used for incidental or emergency fuel use. Additionally, the bill amends CAFE standards to ensure NGVs are given equal treatment with electric vehicles. These amendments will ensure automakers receive the maximum number of credits for the production of natural gas vehicles.

“NGVAmerica applauds Sen. Inhofe and the cosponsors of S. 1355 for introducing a bill that will provide equal treatment for natural gas vehicles and will ensure automakers receive the maximum number of allowable CAFE credits for the production of NGVs,” said NGVAmerica President Richard Kolodziej. “Legislation such as this will help accelerate the growth of the NGV market and provide our country with the environmental benefits and greater energy independence that comes with using clean domestic natural gas as a vehicle fuel.”