On Monday, the Obama administration announced that it will set fuel-economy standards for commercial trucks, buses, and tractor trailers. One reason that heavy-duty trucks are a prime target of these new regulations is because larger trucks make up just 3 percent of the U.S. vehicle fleet yet they consume 15 percent of the fuel.
Just as importantly, nearly 33 percent of every barrel of imported oil is used by 18-wheelers moving goods around and across the country. Fleet vehicles like buses, delivery trucks, and municipal and utility vehicles can be replaced by vehicles running on clean, cheap, domestic natural gas rather than imported diesel fuel.
Natural gas is much cleaner than diesel. In fact it is the cleanest transportation fuel in widespread use today. According to the California Energy Commission, greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas are 23 percent lower than diesel and 30 percent lower than gasoline. Natural gas produces virtually no particulate emissions, making it much cleaner than diesel. In fact, the natural gas Honda Civic GX—which is assembled in Ohio—is rated as the cleanest production vehicle in the world. You can learn more about this car by clicking here.