We are winding up a 2-day stop in Washington, DC and after a couple of meetings this morning will head out towards NYC.
We arrived on Monday afternoon and filled up in northern Virginia, right outside of the Pentagon at a fueling station for Navy personnel. If you are looking for CNG though they will allow anyone to fill up. They did not post the CNG price ($2.419) but you can see how it compares to other fuel prices at the same location.
Next I stopped by Dow Chemicals offices for a chat about using natural gas as a transportation fuel. Dow sees the issue from a different perspective as a large end user of natural gas. They use natural gas not only as a fuel for power generation at their plants but also as a feedstock for many of their products. There seems to be concern on behalf of other natural gas users like Dow, that encouraging natural gas for transportation use will increase demand and drive up prices. This is a very valid concern but it raises the question – do we have enough to do it all?
I found this article about supply which speaks to how much we have and what that may mean for expanded use. It included this quote from a Professor at Rice University:
Recent technological innovation has transformed the natural gas exploration and production industry, particularly as it pertains to shale. The findings in this study indicate significant potential for expanded use of domestically produced natural gas for many purposes, including power generation and even transportation fuel for many years to come.
—Dr. Kenneth B. Medlock III, co-author and professor of economics at Rice University
Here is another thought that my thesis advisor mentioned in a recent meeting… we typically think of increased demand for a product as a trigger for rising prices. But you could also argue that increased demand and price will incentivize natural gas producers to find and produce more product. Demand and increased activity could lead to improved technology and a more stable price. Do you think we have enough to do it all?
On Tuesday, we began the day with a conversation with a few of the gas trade associations to get their thoughts on using natural gas as a transportation fuel. They were very interested in the refueling challenges we have faced along the way, and I plan to summarize my thoughts to share with them once the trip wraps up.
Next we headed to Capitol Hill and after the car got the okay from the K9 unit, we drove the vehicle up to the House Office Buildings to display it for Members of Congress and staffers.
We had some good interest, and I answered a lot of questions about the vehicle and conversion as well as the trip so far. Here is a photo of me giving Congressman Dan Borenof OK a tour of the car. Congressman Boren is a sponsor of the NAT GAS Act which would increase incentives for vehicles and refueling infrastructure. For more info on his bill, click here.
As we were getting ready to go, one of the Capitol Police officers walked over for a tour. He said they were actually ordering new crusiers for their officers and had considered natural gas vehicles but had concerns about where they would refuel. I have heard that before.
Next stop was to head over to see Capitol METRO at one of the large bus maintenance facilities. The folks at METRO were very nice, and in addition to giving us a tour of the facility and thier CNG refueling infrastructure they had set up multiple versions of the CNG buses they run to show the various engines. The best part – they let me keep that awesome vest.
After hearing about the naturla gas busses in DC, I headed over to meet with former Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta. It was a great honor and he shared some of his experiences while he was head of DOT. We talked about fuel economy standards as well as safety concerns related to natural gas vehicles.
To sum up, I did a wrap up video along the Potomac.
I’m following your progress – keep on truckin’!! If you need a Southern NJ refueling, email me at erickersh@comcast.net. I live just outside of Atlantic City in Galloway, NJ. And like the city of Milton, I won’t charge!!
