natural gas consumed here comes from the United States or Canada, and, according to the feds, natural gas imports declined for the third consecutive year in 2010 because of growing domestic production. Tese shale gas plays are being found
in areas of the country that have never seen oil and gas production, and with that come some challenges, including state ef- forts to gear up for this new industry. Te latest numbers from the U.S. De-
partment of Energy show an average price for natural gas sold as a transportation fuel for the first quarter of 2011 was $2.06 for a gasoline-gallon-equivalent, compared to $3.69 for gasoline and $4.04 for diesel. While the differential is impressive, there is a much more critical issue for fleet administrators— price stability. Diesel prices are subject to more volatility because they are based on world crude prices. Natural gas prices have remained much more stable because they are based on North American production. Natural gas used as a transportation fuel
accounts for less than 1 percent of all the natural gas consumed in the United States. To get a sense of how much room there is to grow, the U.S. consumes about 24,450 billion cubic feet of natural gas a year, and only 43 billion cubic feet was used for transportation in 2010. Even the most aggressive scenarios estimate that the use of natural gas as a trans- portation fuel would grow to only 1.25 Tcf by 2015 — or 5 percent of current demand. Meanwhile, the U.S. gas producers have estimated that they could easily expand pro- duction considerably if demand was there. Isn’t low-sulfur-diesel-fuel as environmen-
tally friendly? Here is what the experts say: per unit of energy, natural gas contains less carbon than any other fossil fuel and pro- duces lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per vehicle mile traveled. Te California Air Resources Board concludes that, on a well- to-wheel analysis, burning CNG produces about 68 grams of CO2 equivalent emis- sions per unit of energy consumed. Gasoline and diesel fueled vehicles produce approxi-
mately 94 to 95 grams of CO2 equivalent emissions per unit of energy consumed. School transportation directors say
their number one job is to safely transport students, so the safety record of natural gas vehicles is absolute. Tere are no ca- veats from insurance companies about insuring natural gas powered vehicles. Natural gas vehicles are subject to the same federal standards as regular vehicles, and that includes safety testing of school buses. As the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation tells us, natural gas vehicles have an excellent safety record for two primary reasons: the properties of the fuel itself and the integrity of the natural gas vehicle and its fuel delivery system. ■
Kolodziej is the executive director of NGVAmerica, dedicated to the development of a growing, sustainable and profitable market for vehicles powered by natural gas or hydrogen. More information is available at
www.ngvamerica.com.
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Buster friends& School Bus Safety Coloring Book
SCHOOL BUS
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