NATURAL GAS FOR CARS AND TRUCKS: OPTIONS AND CHALLENGES - Natural Gas-powered Cars and Trucks: Options and Issues - page 20

C ONGRESSIONAL I NVOLVEMENT
As the availability of domestic natural gas supplies has increased, so too
has congressional interest in finding ways to use more natural gas in the
transportation sector. The federal government's tax, regulatory, and research
and development policies are viewed as possible incentives for expanding
production and use of natural gas vehicles.
Legislation to promote natural gas as a vehicle fuel has been introduced in
the 113 th Congress (and in previous years), including proposals that would
change the taxation of alternative fuels and vehicles, modify the regulation of
natural gas vehicles under federal CAFE standards, increase the weight limit
for natural gas trucks on interstate highways, provide loans and grants for
deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and recharging stations, and raise
federal agency use of alternative fuel vehicles.
One proposal affecting natural gas vehicles has passed thus far in the 113 th
Congress. An amendment (H.Amdt. 93) offered by Representative Eliot Engel
was added to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act of 2014 (H.R. 2216), prohibiting the Departments
of Defense and Veterans Affairs from purchasing new light-duty vehicles unless
they are alternate fuel vehicles such as hybrid, electric, natural gas, or biofuel.
The House agreed by voice vote to this amendment, which Representative Engel
noted in his floor remarks was in line with requirements in the May 24, 2011,
Memorandum on Federal Fleet Performance issued by President Obama. 101 The
Engel amendment was included in the enacted legislation. 102
A broad energy efficiency bill (S. 761) reported out of the Senate Energy
and Natural Resources Committee on June 3, 2013, includes a provision
(Section 403) amending the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to
authorize the use of energy savings performance contracts and utility energy
service contracts for projects that support the use of natural gas and electric
vehicles or the related fueling or charging infrastructure. The bill, the Energy
Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013, has not come to the
Senate floor. 103
S. 2260, the Extension of Alternative Fuel Excise and Infrastructure Tax
Credits Act of 2014, would extend many expiring tax provisions, including the
incentive for alternative fuels, the alternative fuel refueling property credit, and
the credit for new fuel cell motor vehicles. The bill was reported from the
Senate Finance Committee on April 28, 2014, but has not yet received a Senate
vote. A similar bill extending fuel and infrastructure credits is H.R. 5559, the