Daniel Gage, NGVAmerica’s president, testified on Wednesday before the U.S. House Ways & Means Tax Policy Subcommittee about the need for a five-year extension of the alternative fuel tax credit (AFTC) and the alternative fueling infrastructure credit.
In February, President Donald Trump signed a long-term budget agreement that included extensions of these lapsed tax credits retroactively for 2017. At the time, Gage praised the extension but also said NGVAmerica intended to “continue working with congressional leaders to extend these proven clean air investment incentives for 2018 and beyond.”
“If we want cleaner air, we need cleaner trucks,” Gage told Chairman Vern Buchanan and subcommittee members. “We need federal incentives like these credits to encourage the replacement of aging dirty fleets with clean, zero-emissions-equivalent natural gas powertrains. We at NGVA believe that every child in America can and should awake in a neighborhood with clean air by 2025. Natural gas vehicles get us there.”
According to NGVA, panelists had three minutes to provide testimony before answering questions posed by committee members. Gage testified alongside Andrew West, founder and CEO of NGVA member American Natural Gas.
Gage detailed how a five-year extension for 2018-2022 would offset the cost of new, cleaner-burning trucks and accelerate the investment payback for consumers and businesses – in turn, providing some partial parity with other emerging technologies and encouraging natural gas usage and new research and development.
“Natural gas vehicles are powered by American fuel, American technology and American innovation. Moving forward, our industry needs certainty and deserves parity with other zero-emissions-equivalent technologies,” concluded Gage.
NGVA encourages member companies to submit their own letters of support for an AFTC extension directly to the House Ways and Means Committee here. The deadline for submission is March 28.
