Connecticut's Larson Praises AT&T

Congressman John Larson applauded AT&T’s commitment to using alternative fuels to power thousands of vehicles in its U.S. fleet. In Larson’s home state of Connecticut, 274 alternative vehicles have been deployed to date, including 229 that use compressed natural gas. More than 6,000 have been deployed nationwide.

“When it comes to big trucks, natural gas is a natural choice. Not only is it abundant, affordable, and American – which means it’s good for companies bottom line and the nation’s economy – but it also burns cleaner than diesel fuels and is better for our environment. That’s why I’m such a big proponent of the NAT GAS Act, and why I’m honored to be here today with AT&T to see how they are taking the lead in moving towards cleaner alternative fuel vehicles for their fleet. I hope other businesses here in the greater-Hartford area and throughout Connecticut will recognize the potential of natural gas and do the same.” – Rep. John Larson

In 2010, AT&T and other large U.S. fleet operators joined in the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities’ National Clean Fleets Partnership as part of a national challenge launched by President Obama to cut America’s petroleum imports by one-third by 2025. Through 2013, AT&T anticipates it will have purchased up to 8,000 CNG vehicles at an estimated cost of $350 million. Additionally, over the life of the commitment, AT&T expects to invest $215 million to replace approximately 7,100 fleet passenger cars with alternative-fuel models.

AT&T announced that they will be putting 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles on the road nationwide by 2018. In Connecticut, the company has deployed 274 alternative fuel vehicles, with 229 of them being powered by compressed natural gas.

The Congressman noted the hefty savings associated with using natural gas over gasoline:

On average, it costs a third less to fill a vehicle with natural gas than traditional gasoline, and since 98 percent of the natural gas used by the United States is domestic, it is not subject to outside political and economic pressures.