Filling up at the tank might become a little easier for compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles, as Assembly member Sebastian Ridley-Thomas announced Feb. 25 he introduced a bill to regulate the retail the sale of such alternative fuels. Assembly Bill 1907 (AB 1907) – authored by Ridley-Thomas – proposes to require filling stations across California who offers CNG and LNG fuels for cars and trucks to do so in gallons, equivalent to how the sales of gasoline or diesel fuels are measured.
“Cars, trucks and buses running on CNG and LNG fuels are much better for our state’s air quality than gasoline and diesel,” Ridley-Thomas stated. “But consumers who drive CNG and LNG vehicles need to know they’re getting their ‘gallon’s worth’ when they fill up at the pump at a CNG or LNG station. AB 1907 will take the guesswork out of buying cleaner burning fuels for your passenger car or truck.”
Ridley-Thomas added if the bill should become law, filling stations across the state selling CNG and LNG fuels would have to adjust their respective dispensers to display fuel in gallon equivalents as of Jan. 1, 2015.
Currently, filling stations are only required to display in gallons the amount of fuel dispensed for gasoline or diesel vehicles. Filling stations offering CNG and LNG fuels are generally measured in cubic feet, kilograms, or pounds. In a statement issued by Ridley-Thomas’ office, having two different means to measure fuel means consumers might experience difficulty in comparing fuel prices.
According to AltFuelPrices.com, there are 596 public alternative fuel stations in the Los Angeles area.
In Santa Monica, SoCal Gas – Clean Energy at 1701 Stewart Street offers CNG fuel.
Other natural gas-friendly station are located near the UCLA campus in Westwood (741 Charles Young Drive) and the Union 76 at 1004 South La Cienega Boulevard.
Ridley-Thomas represents the State’s 54th Assembly District, which includes Beverlywood, Century City, Cheviot Hills, Culver City, Mar Vista, Palms, and Westwood, among other locations.
For more information on Assembly member Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, visit his website here. http://asmdc.org/members/a54/
