Posted on 03/13/2015 4:53:30 PM PDT by shove_it
Statement from T. Boone Pickens on Legislation Filed in Texas to Move Government Vehicles to Natural Gas March 12, 2015
The bill that State Senator Carlos Uresti and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced today will provide a roadmap – literally – for other states to follow to transition their fleet vehicles from imported gasoline and diesel to cleaner, cheaper domestic alternatives, including natural gas.
Getting off foreign oil and utilizing American resources is crucial to the Texas oil and gas industry because it keeps taxpayer dollars from going to OPEC, and invests them in America instead. The oil and gas industry pays $4 billion in property taxes to the State of Texas and it makes sense to help keep that industry healthy by utilizing the resources it generates.
Even with oil prices as low as they are now, fueling with domestic alternatives is still much cheaper. Converting from diesel to alternatives like natural gas is a fiscally responsible move that will save the State and local governments millions on fuel costs. That taxpayers savings represents another big investment in the Texas economy. This is exactly the kind of leadership we need on energy. Competition has always been the Spirit of Texas – we pick the best value at the best price for most things, and it’s only right we do the same with fuel. OPEC oil just can’t compete with American energy.
T. Boone Pickens is the architect of the Pickens Plan that focuses on initiatives that enhance U.S. energy security by promoting policies that reduce dependence on OPEC oil. You may follow Boone on Twitter, @BoonePickens.
Sen. Uresti announces major alternative fuels initiative March 12, 2015 Contact: Jerry Needham, (512) 463-0119
Senator Carlos Uresti, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Railroad Commissioner David Porter and other legislative, agency, and industry leaders today announced the filing of Senate Bill 12 to provide financial incentives for state agencies, counties and cities to purchase vehicles that use less-polluting alternative fuels.
“Senate Bill 12 will jumpstart the use of natural gas and other alternative fuels here in Texas,” Uresti said. “We have an abundant supply of natural gas, and a portion of that supply is flared into the air every day due to a lack of demand. We can reduce flaring and put that gas to use—starting with our state fleet.”
“Senate Bill 12 will put Texas in the lead for natural gas vehicles in state agencies and local governments,” said Patrick. “It’s cheap, it’s clean, it’s here in Texas and will save taxpayers millions of dollars in fuel costs.”
The bill will allow agencies or entities that operate more than 15 vehicles to apply for grants to convert or replace vehicles to models that use compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, or liquefied petroleum gas.
“I commend Lt. Gov. Patrick and Sen. Uresti for their leadership in expanding Texas’s transportation fuel markets and for their efforts to make Texas the national leader for natural gas vehicles,” said Porter, who launched his statewide Natural Gas Initiative in 2013. “By transitioning state government vehicles to this domestic fuel, we can set an example for the rest of the state and nation, and inject some serious fuel competition into the transportation sector.”
Funding for the program will come from fees already collected from motorists and industry for the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP), which was established by the legislature in 2001 and currently contains more than $800 million. The bill allows up to 3 percent of the TERP fund balance to be used each year to finance the new governmental alternative fuel fleet program. SB 12 will also expand a program that provides state grants to build alternative fueling stations.
“Expanding the market for Texas natural gas and alternative fuels will put more Texans to work. It’s past time to put this funding to good use” Uresti said.
Sen. Uresti represents Senate District 19, which covers more than 35,000 square miles and contains all or part of 17 counties, two international ports of entry, ten state parks, 61 school districts, 2700 miles of highways, and more than 23,000 producing oil and gas wells. The district is larger than 12 states and 82 Nations, and contains over half of the Texas-Mexico border. Sen. Uresti is proud to serve on the Finance, Natural Resources & Economic Development, Health & Human Services, and Administration Committees.
The infrastructure for this is not available, nor do the 254 County yards have the ability to refuel.
FTA:
“Funding for the program will come from fees already collected from motorists and industry for the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP), which was established by the legislature in 2001 and currently contains more than $800 million. The bill allows up to 3 percent of the TERP fund balance to be used each year to finance the new governmental alternative fuel fleet program. SB 12 will also expand a program that provides state grants to build alternative fueling stations.”
$24mil per year won’t go very far.
Why in the name of everything that’s inflammable should the United States have to import gasoline?
Pickens. Always the conniving rent-seeker.
You’ll have to ask Mr. Pickens about that but I’m pretty sure he was talking about the imported oil to make gasoline if you read the next sentence.
Texans! Hold on to your wallets, T. Bone has an idea!
“$24mil per year won’t go very far.”
The state does not need to be handing out grants, let the private industries handle this on their own. We’re along ways from something like this being put in place. If it’s such a grand idea let T Boone put it in place. I’ll run from anything that man is involved in.
see reply #3
Apparently Texas has legislated a TERP fund.
ping
I think this is the same T-bone who tried to T-bone the state for his thousands of wind turbines. If I’m not mistaken, T-bone holds the patent for the machinery that is required for the refueling of natural gas (this was brought up before when he tried to get the national fleet natural gas law enacted through His Arrogance and the crook at EPA at the time).
T Boone is not well like by those of us old timers in the oil and gas business, we still remember his attempted buy out of Gulf Oil.
Yup. He lost several fortunes on the wind turbines. He puts his money where his mouth is.
If this is cost effective, it will happen without govt mandates and if it isn’t...well T. Boone will try and make some dough on it anyway.
Actually we were getting a good price on imported gasoline from Europe. They’ve gone to such a large diesel population in their fleet mix that their refineries make too much gasoline.
“He lost several fortunes on the wind turbines.”
And most likely other investors were involved, just like his run on Gulf Oil. The only one made any money was T Boone when he dumped his stock at the cost of the investors. They thought they were buy Gulf’s share when in fact it was T Boone’s.
Why in the name of everything that’s inflammable should the United States have to import gasoline?
. . . .
Because we don’t make enough of it ourselves. We are close, but you can only move the ratios of gasoline, diesel etc from a barrel of crude a limited amount.
We make more diesel than we use and we make less gasoline. So we are a net exporter of diesel and a net importer of gasoline.
Also, we still import about 7 million barrels a day of oil to keep up with our refineries.
If it’s such a grand idea let T Boone put it in place. I’ll run from anything that man is involved in.
. . . . . .
He did build the fueling. He just wants the taxpayers to guarantee his sales.
Maybe we can get T. Boone Pickens to move to New Hampshire or something.
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