Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) held a press conference Wednesday with billionaire clean energy advocate T. Boone Pickens to present the bipartisan New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act (NAT GAS), which aims to provide financial incentives for the use of natural gas.

“Our economic crisis has shined a spotlight on the urgent need for alternative, cleaner, and cheaper sources of energy that we don’t have to import,” Menendez said. “By making it easier and cheaper to own a vehicle that runs in natural gas, we can help families save money on energy, create new manufacturing jobs and clear our air.”

According to Pickens' website, www.PickensPlan.com, the U.S. possesses a secure and abundant supply of natural gas, with estimated domestic reserves nearly twice that of petroleum. The website also claims that natural gas is 85 percent cleaner and 75 percent cheaper than petroleum.

"We have dramatically increased our nation’s natural gas reserves. We have much more natural gas than we thought we had just a few years ago. And there is a sufficient supply to significantly increase the use of cleaner, greener fuel, as a transportation fuel," explained Hatch.

The NAT GAS Act will extend and increase tax credits for natural gas vehicles and refueling for state and local governments, as well as manufactures.