How ironic that the Legislature spent so much time over the past couple of years trying to figure out how to reduce the price Alaskans pay at the pump for gasoline while continuing to allow our local refineries to earn an acceptable return on their investment. The irony is that we already have a ready supply of an alternative fuel -- a fuel that can be less expensive and cleaner-burning as well.
I'm talking about natural gas.
Natural gas is used to fuel vehicles either with compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquid petroleum gas (more widely known as "propane"). CNG is currently used to power more than 8 million vehicles around the world. Propane is also used to fuel vehicles, although more Americans associate propane with heating. More than 10 million vehicles worldwide run on propane. By some estimates, propane could displace nearly 1 billion gallons of gasoline per year by 2017, with significant improvement in air quality.
According to the Alaska Natural Gas Dev-elopment Authority (www.angda.state.ak.us), the North Slope has substantial quantities of natural gas and that gas contains large amounts of propane. ANGDA further claims that Alaska has the potential to distribute propane to 99 percent of Alaskans via highways, rivers and coastal barges.
Propane has the added benefit of being environmentally friendly. Propane vehicles produce less greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, and particulates, compared to conventional gasoline. In other words, propane can easily meet or exceed current and future emission standards. Power, acceleration, payload, and drivability of propane-fueled vehicles are comparable to gasoline and diesel engines.
The concept is proven. The largest school district in Oregon, Portland Public Schools, transports more than 12,000 students every day, over 3.5 million miles each year.
Finally, propane offers some distinct economic advantages. The Battelle Memorial Institute found that propane is the most economical alternative fuel for fleets (on a per-mile basis) when operating, ownership, and infrastructure costs are all taken into consideration.
Unfortunately both the Municipality of Anchorage and the State of Alaska refused to consider propane last spring. The budgets passed by the Legislature in April 2009 included several million dollars for the purchase of new and replacement vehicles for both the state and municipal fleets. However, neither the state nor the municipality was willing to even consider propane-powered vehicles.
Instead we'll continue to rail against refiners and high gasoline prices, take umbrage at the EPA when we fail emissions tests, and argue over vehicle emissions testing. We deserve better.
Even more ludicrous is the municipality's unwillingness to consider a readily available source of inexpensive compressed natural gas. Every day the municipal landfill produces enough methane gas that could be treated, compressed and used to equate to as much as 5,000 gallons of gasoline. But instead of processing the methane, or selling it to a third party who has offered to buy it, the municipality flares (burns) the gas.
Room does not permit a list all of the corporations, cities, and states that are moving to propane or CNG. But both are proven technologies that are working in many, many locations.
Because Anchorage lacks convenient "fast-fill" stations similar to the corner gasoline station, Alaskans who recognize the benefits of CNG are installing personal "slow-fill" systems in their homes. This is the result of a classical "chicken and egg" scenario. Entrepreneurs are unwilling to invest in erecting fast-fill stations because there is very little demand. People are unwilling to buy propane or CNG-powered vehicles because there is little supply.
Utah's legislature resolved this dilemma by providing seed money for fast-fill stations, a prime example of government being the logical solution to an investment problem. The state of Alaska could provide seed money as loans to entrepreneurs, Alaskans would have access to cheaper fuel for their vehicles, and our air would be cleaner.
I urge the governor and mayor to follow the lead of other states that have provided incentives for the construction of "fast-fill" CNG or propane stations.
Sen. Fred Dyson is a mariner, former commercial fisherman, and oil industry engineer. He represents Senate District I, Eagle River, Chugiak, and parts of Northeast Anchorage.
By SEN. FRED DYSON