President Obama's Las Vegas Speech

The full text of the President's address is available here.

Hydrogen-powered truck debuts in Long Beach

It's called "Tyrano!" Zero emissions. 536 hp.

EDITORIAL: President’s State of the Union Spotlights Clean Fuels and Clean Energy

Clean Cities Coachella Valley Region
Editorial
January 25, 2012

President’s State of the Union Spotlights Clean Fuels and Clean Energy

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called for a national focus on developing a long-term energy plan for America. The Clean Cities Program has long advocated for a solution to our dependency on OPEC oil and to the harmful emissions caused by motor vehicles. We know we can’t solve our political problems or our air quality problems without focusing on transportation, which accounts for two-thirds of America’s oil use.

For the first time in a long time, it seems both parties agree that natural gas can provide a solution. A White House report on rebuilding our economy states that natural gas is the cleanest of the fossil fuels. We have massive amounts of natural gas reserves in the U.S. and we should immediately move to better utilize it.

We believe it’s time for the rest of the nation to follow the lead set by the Coachella Valley. In 1994, we had to move from the vague generalities of converting our bus fleet from diesel to an alternate fuel to the specifics of procuring natural gas vehicles and developing infrastructure. We also had to develop training materials so our mechanics and drivers could learn the properties of alternative fuels and how to handle them safely. Congress needs to get equally specific about a nationwide transition plan.

Since electricity is rarely produced from oil, creating more energy from natural gas, hydro, wind, solar and nuclear will not have a major impact on our dependence on OPEC oil. But finding a substitute for oil as a major transportation fuel will.

Now is the perfect time for this long-awaited action. We hope the President and the Congress will proceed with haste to provide the incentives for developing alternative fuels infrastructure and to large diesel users to convert to cleaner fuels.

Clean Cities Coachella Valley
Coordinators:

Suzanne Seivright (bio)
P.O. Box 1379
Palm Springs, CA 92263
Website

Richard Cromwell III (bio)
Richard Cromwell III and Associates
PO Box 1207
Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240
Website

President Obama Showcases NGV Project

President Obama Showcases Natural Gas Vehicle Project Organized by GNA. President Obama spoke yesterday at the UPS Las Vegas South facility. UPS and the South Coast Air Quality Management District received over $14 million to provide "for three liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling stations and the deployment of 150 heavy-duty natural gas trucks."

In the 2012 State of the Union address delivered to members of Congress just two days earlier, the President reinforced that "the development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don't have to choose between our environment and our economy." His visit to the UPS facility underscores how natural gas transportation technologies, domestic energy, and a commitment to investing in U.S. infrastructure are key elements in the foundation of a successful economic recovery. This specific project has directly led to the creation of 117 American jobs and is eliminating 1.25 million gallons of petroleum use per year, replacing it with cleaner burning, domestically-produced natural gas.

Watch the C-Span video:

Non-Surprise For 2012

Forbes has published an article entitled Five Non-Surprises For 2012. Number 5:

People will begin to realize that T. Boone Pickens was right about natural gas. The problem all too often is that someone is right about something but they’re simply too early. Apple was right about the Newton and mobile computing; it was just too early. AOL Time Warner was right about Internet delivery of media; it was just too early. Larry Ellison was right about cloud computing; he was just too early. Americans will recognize the economic, military, and political cost of being dependent on foreign oil. Given the abundance of natural gas in the United States and Canada, its low price relative to oil, and its lower emissions relative to oil, policymakers will begin to lay plans for a major energy infrastructure shift in the U.S.

T. Boone Pickens Statement on President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union Address

From TheDailyPickens:

In his remarks in the State of the Union address, President Barack Obama again called for a national focus on developing a long-term energy plan for America. I agree we should use every available American resource. I applaud President Obama for highlighting natural gas and for calling on Congress to better promote its use.

The expanded use of natural gas in America — in power generation and transportation — has enormous bipartisan support in the Congress and in the states. It is time to move from vague generalities to specifics on how we make this transition happen. I am confident that President Obama, as well as all the candidates for President, will lay out detailed plans on how they intend to achieve it.

We cannot solve the OPEC dependency crisis without a focus on transportation. It is two-thirds of all oil use. Oil is not a major player in the production of electricity so creating more energy from natural gas, hydro, wind, solar or nuclear will not have a major impact on our dependence on OPEC for our oil. Finding a substitute for oil as a major transportation fuel will.

We have massive amounts of natural gas reserves in the United States and we should immediately move to better utilize it. As a White House report on rebuilding our economy states, natural gas is the cleanest of the fossil fuels.

America does not have a natural gas production problem — we are awash in natural gas. What we have is a demand problem and unless we bring both sides of the equation in balance, we will see this cleaner, cheaper, abundant, domestic resource exported in greater and greater quantities.

I hope the President and the Congress will call on American ingenuity and creativity to utilize all of our domestic resources. America is blessed with having the cheapest energy in the world right now. It is that cheap energy — including coal, oil and natural gas — that will not only fuel our factories, cars, and trucks, but will fuel the resurgence of manufacturing in America, while creating solid, well-paying, and permanent jobs.

CALSTART NewsNotes, January 24

Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 8:21 AM
Subject: CALSTART NewsNotes 1-24-2012

NEWSNOTES

January 19, 2012

Good Morning:

Experts close to the source report that Glee is a rerun tonight, so why not take in the State of the Union address? Capitol Hill sleuthers have discovered that the President will roll out his “Blueprint for an America Meant to Last” and Politico outlines the four pillars. Among them is homegrown and alternative energy sources produced by American workers. The Wall Street Journal teaser for non-subscribers adds to that formula a call for an increase in domestic oil and gas production.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Annual Energy Outlook 2012 echoes that an increase in oil, natural gas and renewable energy production, combined with efficiency improvements portends a decrease in reliance on oil imports. Today’s DOE announcement, according to Trucking Info, includes an increase in biofuel use and modest growth in transportation sector demand as variables contributing to greater reliance on domestic energy. U.S. oil dependence is the subject of “Congestion in America.” The report from Securing America’s Future Energy will be released today at 2 p.m. eastern time.

From the “A lie can travel halfway around the world while truth is putting on its shoes” department (thank you Mark Twain), it’s official that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has given the Chevrolet Volt an all clear related to the fire incident last summer. NHTSA concluded and the Los Angeles Times reports that the Volt poses no unusual or greater fire risk than a gasoline-powered vehicle. Plug-ins are safe and the Volt continues to be good to go.

Yesterday, California judge Lawrence O’Neill denied the California Air Resources Board (CARB) request to reverse an earlier decision and allow the state to continue implementing its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) in 2012. Biofuels Digest summarizes the importance and offers links to a point/counter-point about the ramifications. It’s important for many reasons including the impact it may have on other states trying to do the same thing. California’s policy leadership in advanced fuels and vehicle technology is legendary as the San Francisco Chronicle points out in referring to the state pulling off a “clean-air triple play” in bringing Detroit and Washington, DC along to nearly double auto mileage standards in coming years. On Thursday in Los Angeles, CARB will lay out broad goals to meet the standards including considering an “Advanced Clean Car Program” that could result in 87% of the driving fleet being powered by hydrogen fuel cells or batteries by 2050.

California state agencies take policy planning seriously when it comes to energy sources and emissions reductions. CALSTART and the California Energy Commission invite stakeholders from around the country to join the CalHEAT Forum 2012 which takes place in under one month in Stockton, California. For stimulation California style, lend your voice to what the automotive market could look like by 2020 and make plans to join us in developing this important roadmap.


Until Thursday,

Kimberly

State of the Union Talking Points, Politico
http://politi.co/wQnR0l

Obama To Spotlight Energy, Wall Street Journal
http://on.wsj.com/zrVdZ6

DOE Projects Reduced Reliance on Foreign Oil, Trucking Info
http://bit.ly/yUrhsv

Congestion in America, Securing America’s Future Energy
http://bit.ly/iYcwun

Probe of Volt Fire Ends, Los Angeles Times
http://lat.ms/ylDydL

Judge Denies Petition to Implement CA LCFS, Biofuels Digest
http://bit.ly/An6IRt

California’s Clean Car Agenda, SF Chronicle
http://bit.ly/xZSqla

CalHEAT Forum 2012, CALSTART
http://bit.ly/ybOx5N



Kimberly Taylor

Director Member Services

CALSTART
14062 Denver West Parkway Suite 300
Lakewood, CO 80401-3188
Cell Phone: 626-622-6229 (Best way to reach me)
Office Phone: 720-274-9765
ktaylor@calstart.org

CALSTART-NTEA Green Truck Summit, March 5-8, 2012, Indianapolis, IN. Green fleet solutions found here. Learn. View. Drive.

The Safety Of Compressed Natural Gas

"Stephe Yborra from NGV America navigates through the safety and realities of driving a natural gas vehicle."

• Natural gas is lighter than air, so if there is a leak it floats up and away, rather than pooling around the leak as gasoline would.
• CNG tanks are built stronger than standard gasoline tanks. Even if hit by rifle fire, they do not explode (but they will leak).
• In a fire, safety valves will relieve pressure in the tank long before burst pressure is reached. The result may look like "a large Bunsen burner."
• Explosions require fuel and oxygen, Mr. Yborra says. There is no air in the tank.
• Performance of natural gas vehicles equals or exceeds that of gasoline-powered vehicles.

"Energy security and the role of natural gas"

An opinion piece from the Energy Policy Information Center, a project of Securing America's Future Energy summarizes a couple of news articles:

• The Wall Street Journal reports plummeting natural gas prices due to a glut. One solution is more natural gas-fired power plants (read the WSJ article here).
• A Bloomberg article reports that Chrysler says they will begin selling natural gas-powered pickup trucks this year. (full Bloomberg article here).

Backbone Network for America's Natural Gas Highway

"The route plan for the first phase of 150 new LNG fueling stations for America's Natural Gas Highway (ANGH) was unveiled by Clean Energy Fuels Corp., the leading provider of natural gas fuel for transportation in North America."

Scheduled for completion during 2012 and 2013, the 150 first-phase stations coincide with the expected arrival of new natural gas truck engines well suited for heavy-duty, over-the-road trucking. Engine manufacturers and original equipment truck manufacturers such as Cummins-Westport, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Navistar, Freightliner and Caterpillar are expected to have Class-8 trucks available in engine sizes allowing for varied road and driving requirements.

"We are moving quickly to build this important network in order to support the new trucks," said Andrew J. Littlefair, Clean Energy's President and CEO. "Already, Clean Energy has engaged over 100 shippers, private fleets and for-hire carriers that have shared their operations to qualify the economic opportunity of operating natural gas trucks, which has helped us, in turn, plan the first phase of the natural gas fueling highway."

We need to solve the problem in 2012

In 2011, so far, we are still depending on OPEC for 43 percent of our imported oil. We're paying a high price for it. The national security risk is the same. We need to get on our own resources and pick domestic over OPEC.