SENATOR FEINSTEIN'S REPLY

Dear Mr. Fisher, MSW:

Thank you for writing to express your support for expanding the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) as a transportation fuel. I appreciate hearing your thoughts, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

I share your concern about the rising cost of gasoline, and I agree that we must take steps to reduce our dependence on oil and increase our energy security. Putting more CNG vehicles on the road and investing in the infrastructure to make CNG fuel accessible for drivers may help us achieve that goal.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the consumption of CNG nationwide has risen by 145 percent over the past six years, increasing the demand for CNG fueling stations.

There are currently 150,000 CNG vehicles on the road nationwide but fewer than 1,000 CNG fueling stations in the United States.

California leads the nation with more than 33,000 CNG vehicles and nearly 150 public fueling sites.

You may also be interested to know that the California Energy Commission has provided more than $4 million to build an additional 40 CNG fueling stations and purchase more than 350 CNG school buses for the State.

Please know that I appreciate hearing your support for using CNG as a transportation fuel and will keep your thoughts in mind should the Senate consider legislation to address this issue.

I will also continue working to advance measures that will diversify our energy supply and increase our energy independence.

Again, thank you for your letter. If you have further questions or comments, please contact my office in Washington, D.C. at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator