U.S. Congress’ Bills Promote Natural Gas Use in Trucking

WASHINGTON, DC — On January 28, U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned both trucking and natural gas in his Union address and later that week, Congress introduced three bills to promote natural gas in trucking.

“The legislative proposals are aimed at making it safer, more convenient, and more cost-effective for trucking transportation companies to use natural gas when transporting goods across the country,” according to statement from U.S. representative Lee Terry’s office.

HR 3937 – Evaluating the transition to natural gas

This bill would create a task force among the Departments of Energy and Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency, members of Congress, state government, and private sector representatives to evaluate barriers to transition from diesel to natural gas. It would also look at the costs and benefits of using natural gas in trucks and the potential effects of such a change on the Highway Trust Fund.

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, truckinginfo reports. It would produce a report within 120 days of the bill becoming law. 

HR 3938 – Long-haul trucks

The second measure would direct the Secretary of Transportation to designate natural gas fueling corridors for long haul truck traffic. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“Utilizing natural gas in the long haul trucking industry just makes sense,” said U.S. representative Sam Graves, who chairs the House Small Business Committee. “These bills…provide the tools necessary to make sure companies looking to use natural gas are not at a disadvantage.”

HR 3940 – Weight exemption

This third bill would allow an exemption from the current truck weight limit solely for the purpose of the weight of the natural gas tank, so that trucks using the fuel are not at a disadvantage. It has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.


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