John Podesta and T. Boone Pickens share a common goal: to convince “Republican and Democratic lawmakers to get together behind natural gas to replace oil imports from hostile or unstable nations.”
So writes Clifford Krauss of The New York Times in an article that describes the joint news media briefing the two held on Wednesday to discuss the merits of H.R. 1835 and S. 1408, bills that would grant tax breaks to fleets of heavy trucks if they switch from diesel fuel to natural gas.
Pickens pointed out that natural gas is so clean that it doesn’t require refining.
Podesta noted that a fifth of the oil that comes to American shores comes from countries that the State Department deems are dangerous or unstable for travelers. “And that does not include Venezuela,” he added.
If H.R. 1835 and S. 1408 pass, within seven years, enough heavy-duty trucks and buses would be fueled by natural gas to reduce oil imports by up to 700,000 barrels a day, or about 8 percent of total oil imports, according to calculations from Mr. Pickens’s staff.
They also unveiled the first of three ads to support passage of the legislation. Watch it HERE.