The 2013 Appalachian Basin NGV Expo and Conference in Charleston has drawn to a close and now it’s time for West Virginia to take the lead in the industry.
“We have all this energy sitting right underneath the ground here and we could really be a leader in saying that the United States can be independent of the foreign imports that we are having to depend on right now,” said Governor Earl Ray Tomblin.
For three days, hundreds of natural gas and automotive industry professionals from across the nation pooled their ideas together in regards to the future of natural gas use in the U.S.
“It brings a lot of good people together to exchange ideas so I think it’s very important for us with a lot of natural gas,” said Tomblin.
The event concluded Wednesday with the Governor’s Luncheon, which featured a panel discussion with special guests Jim Bruce, vice president of corporate public affairs with UPS, and Donald Itzkoff, executive counsel, government affairs and policy with GE Transportation.
The discussion focused on where the industry sits right now and the obstacles it would need to overcome to continue to grow in the future.
One of those obstacles pertains to the cost associated with converting a vehicle to natural gas, something Tomblin is working to address.
“I along with about twenty other governors around the country have kind of banned together to ask the automobile manufacturers to see how they can, I guess, lower the price and build vehicles with the natural gas motors already in them,” said Tomblin.
Tomblin believes that would cut down the costs considerably.
Not only is cost a big obstacle at this time, but also the lack of stations where someone could fill their natural gas vehicle.
Tomblin hopes to have three natural gas fueling stations built along Interstate 79 in West Virginia by the end of the year which will greatly help the industry in the state.
“That will make the fueling sources more available which also would encourage private businesses to convert their fleet as well as individuals to convert their personal automobiles,” he said.
It is estimated that it would cost someone with a natural gas vehicle 50 percent less to fill up as it does for someone with a gasoline vehicle.
Tomblin said he wants to see the state in the next four years become a leader in this industry.