MOUNT VERNON, Ohio and BLUE BELL, Pa., July 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 17^th, U.S. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced the Light-Duty Natural Gas Vehicle Parity Act of 2018 legislation that would ensure federal agencies give the same regulatory treatment to natural gas vehicles that is provided to electric vehicles.

Ariel Corporation and VNG.co LLC applaud Senator Inhofe's introduction of this legislation and his support of natural gas as a transportation fuel and natural gas vehicles. 

"We are grateful for the leadership of Senator Inhofe for setting a path to advance the goals of our nation," said Tom Rastin, Executive Vice President of Ariel. "America is the number one producer of natural gas in the world, yet only 200,000 of the 25 million natural gas vehicles worldwide reside in the US. This legislation will leverage our abundant domestic resources with natural gas vehicles to provide everyday Americans and businesses with the benefits of a more affordable and more stable priced fuel, and fuel choice, while achieving our nation's economic, environmental and energy independence, and global energy leadership objectives."

"This legislation will help protect the most important and most popular product lines for the US auto industry: pick-ups and other light-duty trucks," underscored Harvey Lamm, VNG co-founder and former co-founder, chairman and CEO of Subaru of America. "It will provide automakers with a cost-effective alternative regulatory compliance pathway, recognizing the needs and demands of vehicle owners and the changing dynamics of the market since the 2012 EPA rulemaking."

Market changes since the 2012 rulemaking include abundant US-sourced natural gas, large and expanding light-duty truck sales which are 68% of new vehicle sales, increasing renewable natural gas supply (e.g., biogas from agriculture, landfills and similar facilities) which accounts for 42% of NGV fueling across the nation and offers greenhouse gas emission reductions of 70% to 130% or more, and global natural gas vehicle growth from 16 million to 25 million today. Further, market receptivity and technology of electric vehicles is uncertain, particularly for light-duty trucks due to the weight and utility of these vehicles. 

Senator Inhofe stated, "Natural gas vehicles have great potential for widespread adoption because of their use of reliable, low-cost, American-made energy. This bill addresses one of the biggest hurdles to the production of more natural gas vehicles: regulation. By providing regulatory parity between natural gas and electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles can have a level playing field in the marketplace."  

(To view Sen. Inhofe's press release and his letter to Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, click here.)

About Ariel

Established in 1966 and headquartered in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Ariel Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of separable reciprocating gas compressors utilized by the global energy industry. As a world-class manufacturer, Ariel sets the industry standard through industry-leading research & development, expert design & manufacturing, and unmatched customer support.

About VNG

VNG is a leading retail compressed natural gas fueling service provider. By offering its fueling services within gasoline stations, VNG supports the widespread use of light-duty NGVs by national and regional fleets, and eventually the mass-market consumer segment. VNG installs, maintains, monitors and operates its company-owned CNG fueling equipment, providing fleets with cost-effective, turnkey CNG fueling services.

The company was co-founded by Harvey Lamm, the co-founder of Subaru of America and Bob Annunziata, the founder of Teleport Communications Group, the first CLEC in the telecommunications industry.  VNG® is the nation's CNG fueling solution.  For more information, please visit the company's website at www.vng.co or call (610) 709-5500.

SOURCE VNG.co LLC

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