Facts Not Furor: What the 2020 Candidates Should Be Focused On

by Daniel Gage (ACT News/NGV America) ... One candidate said we have less than 10 years to act. Many candidates agree that we don’t have time to wait. So why then are we waiting for large scale light-duty electric vehicle adoption that will take decades? Why are we waiting for medium- and heavy-duty electric drive technologies to be developed for commercial use? Why are we waiting for batteries to get cheaper so EVs are more affordable and deployable en masse?

The candidates on that stage, smack in the middle of America’s Rust Belt, missed the opportunity to talk about a plausible, realistic, reliable, and sound solution that is available right now.

Natural gas engines offer significant climate change benefits. Compared to diesel, natural gas engines fueled with geologic natural gas reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 17%. When fueled with renewable natural gas (RNG or biomethane) captured from agriculture, food waste, landfills or wastewater, even greater CO2 and greenhouse gas benefits are achieved—up to 382% lower than diesel. Fueling with RNG is carbon-neutral, even carbon-negative, depending on the feed stock. No better commercially available and deployable alternative fuel option currently exists for the heavy-duty sector.

Invest Impactfully

Investments in Ultra Low NOx and zero emission equivalent natural gas vehicle technologies greatly impact underserved and marginalized communities. Natural gas transportation provides larger and more cost-effective reductions in transportation-related pollutants than any other powertrain option commercially available today or in the near-term.

As such, investments in RNG-fueled trucks and transit buses accessing ports, cities, and densely-populated neighborhoods are the most immediate and fiscally-responsible investment to clean our air and combat climate change. Communities get more clean vehicles producing greater clean air and climate impact for their money with natural gas than with any other alternative fuel option, including electric. This isn’t just a prudent investment of tax dollars; this translates into real-life vehicle conversions and rapid removal of dirty vehicles from our roads.

In addition to its clean air and climate benefits, the development of RNG facilities provides the agriculture industry with new revenue streams, addresses the issue of solid waste, supports watershed management efforts, and mitigates nitrogen runoff. READ MORE

Excerpt from Washington Examiner: South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg promises to be the “new generation of leadership,” but as he seeks the Democratic nomination, he’s acting no different from the old generation. He supports the federal ethanol mandate (also known as the Renewable Fuel Standard) and promises to take aim at the small-refiner exemptions currently in place.

Buttigieg’s plan would be good for the ethanol industry. But as refineries go out of business, in part under pressure from the ethanol mandate, it would be bad for the U.S. economy. Sacrificing the good of the many for the good of special interests hardly seems progressive.

Also, federally mandated use of ethanol wreaks havoc on the environment. READ MORE

Excerpt from Politico's Morning Energy: SETTING SIGHTS ON THE ENERGY INDUSTRY: Democratic presidential hopefuls seem to be channeling the fervor of climate activists who are aiming to hold oil and gas producers liable for the costs incurred from climbing temperatures, rising seas and catastrophic weather. Their opponents see an opening to paint the party as pushing a radical agenda to undermine an industry that's been a bright spot for the economy and has cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil, Pro's Zack Colman reports this morning.

"The deeper and the longer the Democrats talk about this , the happier the Trump campaign is," said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist. "They see fodder not so much in the issue but in the solutions being proposed by the Democrats."

Last month's debates offered a glimpse. Attacks on fossil fuel producers came from leading candidates Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who was perhaps the most vocal among the front-runners by saying the companies were engaging in "criminal activity" by promoting fossil fuels despite their knowledge they were driving climate change.

And Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been pushing legislation requiring more climate change disclosures by companies, a move that could help spark new lawsuits against the energy producers.

Environmental groups say there's room to sharpen government oversight. "The conversation has particularly evolved to the point where we're not just talking about what's happening, we are talking about getting to the root of the problem and who's responsible," 350.org spokeswoman Lindsay Meiman said. READ MORE