Natural Gas is Cheap – Good or Bad News?

I have blogged on this subject before, but now things are different.  Now some of the energy industry’s brightest minds actually agree with me.  Natural gas is clean burning, plentiful, and as liquid natural gas (“LNG”) makes a wonderful automotive fuel.  There is a reason that Boone Pickens, Chairman of the Board at Clean Energy,  spent over $80 million of his own money to promote the “Pickens Plan“, which essentially called on America’s leaders to adopt an energy policy which focused on eliminating our country’s dependence on foreign oil and convert fleets, municipalities, long-haul trucks and other vehicles to run on LNG. By the way, I just paid $4.09 per gallon at the pump today…

My client, American Gas & Technologies has taken this concept a step further by creatiing technology which can produce LNG at a fleet owner’s site, just by tapping into the existing underground natural gas pipeline. Yes – that means no trucking of fuel – a very green and sustainable business model which can help eliminate our foreign oil dependence.

But that’s just me talking.  Listen to someone who’s qualifications dwarf mine in talking about clean energy technology –Sheeraz Haji, CEO of Cleantech.  He clearly sees the light when saying:

“However, I’m thinking there must be a flip side. Cheap and abundant natural gas should create an opportunity for creative cleantech startups. While out of favor, isn’t there a strong business case for natural gas as a transportation fuel? I know of American Gas & Technology and a couple other companies focused in this area, but it’s not been a focal point for venture capitalists or government policy. Lack of distribution (fueling stations) is often cited as a big barrier, but can’t natural gas work for fleets where routes are highly predictable? Or forklifts that are always within close proximity of a filling station?”

I firmly believe that an aggressive and protracted commitment to the adoption of LNG for not all, but some of our transportation needs, could have the following benefits:

1. Clean up our air
2. Reduce the price of transportation fuel
3. Help spur economic recovery
4. Create good, high-paying domestic jobs
5. Create a bridge to the future where hydrogen is the transportation fuel of choice (LNG is the logical feedsource for creating hydrogen fuel “on the fly” since LNG is pure methane, the simplest of all hydrocarbons).

My hat is off to the members of the CleanTech community who recognize the vast potential of LNG, wherein the past, natural gas wasn’t considered “green” enough.  LNG is not the answer to our energy challenges, but it can be a key component, as well as a catalyst to our economic recovery.