T. Boone Pickens: Break Our Foreign Oil Addiction With Natural Gas

Natural Gas

The two comments above show the conundrum we are in. Poster number one says: If enough people want NGVs then the market will support them with infrastructure. Poster number two says: I won't buy an NGV because there's no place to refuel.

The answer is: Let's lead with heavy trucks - 18-wheelers - which generally run the same routes back and forth on a regular schedule. An over-the-road trucker generally eats, sleeps, and refuels in the same places on every trip. One national trucking firm suggested they can get from coast-to-coast with 10 refueling stops. Private industry will, in fact, fill that gap; but the government can jump start the process by providing incentives for trucking companies to replace aging vehicles which burn dirty, imported diesel; with new vehicles running on clean, domestic natural gas.

No dichotomy; no conundrum.

gov jump start

The reason one does not want the gov't controlling the price is that we are/were a free market economy. Price must cover costs and a profit. If the gov't does not cover it's costs, it will have to pass the difference on to YOU in the form of higher taxes, it's not complicated. THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH !! no matter what Hugo, or Fidel, or Stalin, or Lenin/Lennon, or Obama tell you in their books.

If there is a demand for natural gas, people will fill the demand by selling CNG. If you want it so bad get a Phill station installed at home and be done w/ it. OR, better yet, you invest YOUR dollars in a filling station, put your butt on the line. If the market likes your idea, you will be rewarded, if not, you'll have to figure out a way to pay back the money...

GOOD LUCK

We need the Gov to jump start it

I would buy a Natural gas car today except I can't fill it up anywhere. The Government taxes gas which increases our cost. Why can't the Government open up their own Nat Gas stations cut out the middle man and keep Nat gas prices at a reasonable price.