Nothing has been done to stop the hemhorrhage
of American dollars to the OPEC nations.
Help to create our country's second
declaration of independence!
A Simple Plan That Makes Sense
The premise is simple: Natural gas is the cheapest, cleanest, and by far the most practical alternative to petroleum for transportation fuels. It's also a fuel that we have in abundance right here in America! There's been a lot of talk over the years about the need for using alternate fuels, but despite the rhetoric, our nation is still just as dependent on Middle Eastern oil as it's always been. Why aren't manufacturers making more cars that burn natural gas? Because the public doesn't demand them. Why doesn't the public demand them? For one VERY good reason:
America won't buy cars that run on natural gas until they're sure that there are natural gas filling stations wherever they go.
We're comfortable now with the number and location of fueling stations for cars that run on gasoline, so the obvious solution is that existing gas stations need to be refitted to also supply CNG, (Compressed Natural Gas). Unfortunately, gas station owners won't invest until people drive cars that burn natural gas. The public won't buy natural gas cars until they know they'll have a reliable fuel source, and manufacturers won't build the cars until buyers are willing to buy. Someone has to take the first step.
The gas stations are the logical choice to act first because their investment is relatively small, and because the sight of CNG pumps alongside gas pumps at filling stations will have a powerful advertising effect on the public. Obviously station owners aren't going to take this step as a group on their own, and because it really has to be a national initiative, the federal government has to become involved.
What's needed is a carefully drawn law requiring all gas stations to install at least one highly visible and well-labeled functioning CNG pump within a certain time frame.
Drivers will warm to natural gas cars when they see CNG pumps alongside gasoline pumps at every gas station. Demand for conversion units will also rise, and with some help from higher petroleum prices in the future, Americans will finally see the way to declare their second revolution: This time for energy independence.
What can each of us do?
Use the following link to contact your elected officials that you favor this initiative. Feel free to include the address to this website if you'd rather not spell out the details yourself. Find the names and contact information for your elected officials at:
Please be persistent! Conservation measures are fine, but none of those measures address the problem of our dependence on Middle Eastern Petroleum. This simple strategy of requiring gas stations to install a single CNG pump does, but the challenge will be overcoming the formidable influence of the oil producers in Washington. The stakes are high though, and America MUST act!
