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Environment
Each day, the cars we drive, the buses we ride, and the trucks that transport our goods emit pollutants into the air. Though these methods of transportation are essential to our daily lives, Americans must make efforts to reduce our environmental impact for the good of the earth.
Transitioning to natural gas vehicles can help us reach that goal. Emissions from a typical CNG vehicle are much lower than those from gasoline-powered vehicles. CNG vehicles produce up to 29 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than comparable gasoline vehicles and up to 22 percent less than comparable diesel vehicles.
For example, the natural gas-powered Honda Civic GX is recognized by the U.S. EPA as the cleanest commercially available, internal-combustion vehicle. In addition, alternative fuel vehicles such as CNGs produce little or no fumes during fueling and use. In gasoline vehicles, evaporative and fueling emissions can account for at least 50 percent of a vehicle's total hydrocarbon emissions. By embracing natural gas vehicles Americans can reduce our carbon footprint, protecting our country for generations to come.
Economy
Integrating natural gas into vehicles in the United States brings us one step closer to a prosperous economy: creating American jobs while keeping our hard earned money in the U.S., rather than sending it abroad for foreign oil.
According to the Wall Street Journal, direct employment in the oil and natural gas industries has reached 1.8 million; however, there is room for the industry to grow. Natural gas, the abundant, domestic fuel, offers opportunities for employment here at home in areas such natural gas extraction, gas transportation, liquefication and compression.
Additionally, the success of natural gas vehicles would allow local natural gas companies to grow, letting them hire more well-deserving Americans. In 2008, the U.S. spent $475 billion on imported oil. That’s more than 1.3 billion dollars per day! If the country converted to natural gas, those billions would have been put back into the American economy, rather than sent overseas.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to keep our jobs and revenue at home. Let natural gas help.
National Security
In these turbulent times, America is as concerned
as ever with our country’s national security. Natural gas can help achieve
this security by addressing our oil reliance. Roughly 98 percent of the natural
gas we use comes from North America, yet 70 percent of the oil we use is imported.
Moreover, the countries that supply our oil therefore control materials
pertinent to our daily survival. By transitioning to domestic natural
gas we can lessen our dependence on foreign countries and strengthen our
national security.
