Official Washington has been in vigorous discussions - internally and externally - about alternative fuels and their role in our energy portfolio today and in the future. We are talking about solar, wind, geo-thermal and bio-methane. We are fully engaged in the national discussion about reducing our dependence on foreign oil by replacing the oil we import as our basic transportation fuel with natural gas.
There is another domestic fuel that is part of the alternative fuel mix, but has not been as widely discussed -- and that is propane. It's an important part of the Pickens Plan.
Propane is largely produced as a byproduct of natural gas. Over 97 percent of the propane which is used in America is produced right here on American soil. A brief chemistry lesson: propane is chemically very similar to natural gas but has one additional carbon atom per eight hydrogen atoms which has the benefit of allowing it to become liquified at relatively low pressures for shipping and storing.
Most Americans recognize propane as the fuel for their barbecue. It also provides heat, hot water, and cooking fuel to millions of rural American homes that extend beyond our highly-developed natural gas pipelines.
Since propane is a very portable fuel, it can help replace gasoline in some of the worst polluting engines -- the small engines used for garden equipment, lawnmowers and generators. These small gasoline-powered engines release many times more harmful air emissions per hour of use than the typical automobile. In fact, some cities restrict their use during smog alerts. New propane-powered alternatives are coming to market that will meet federal (and soon, California's) air-quality standards, permitting their continued use even during periods of heavy smog
Propane is also an excellent replacement for home heating oil. The price spikes during the past few winters mean homeowners in the Northeast have had to become "household hedge fund managers" making an annual bet on what the price of heating oil will be. This, alone, has made propane an excellent choice as a replacement fuel for imported oil.
When you add to that the fact that propane produces 30 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than home heating oil and no particulate emissions, it makes the argument for switching from heating oil to propane even stronger.
All of that is why propane fits into the Pickens Plan so well. The increased use of this clean, domestic fuel is helping us make a dent in our dependence on foreign oil.
In spite of the continuing economic slowdown, we are still importing more than two-thirds of the oil we use. In May, that cost us approximately $21.6 billion - much of which could have been recycled through the American economy rather than through the economies of countries in the Middle East, Africa and South America.
Increasing our use of propane and natural gas as fuel to power our vehicles and industrial applications means less dependence on foreign oil. As part of our continuing effort to strengthen America's energy independence, I am urging anyone who can - in a residential, a commercial, an agricultural or an industrial setting, to closely investigate shifting from imported oil to propane or natural gas.
Your business or family will benefit, and America will, too.
Follow T. Boone Pickens on Twitter: www.twitter.com/boonepickens
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Tell ya what T-Boone: disavow ANY claims to water rights/con
Still, he makes some valid points about renewable energy in general, and propane in particular
In the end the result is the same: natural resources removed from the environmen
Denying future generation
We should just be honest and straightfo
Should we turn off all the lights and stop driving cars completely so we can tell our children that we care about their lives? What if our children need to go to a doctor and a) can't get there without burning some CO2-produc
You are 100% correct that in the longer run we need to drasticall
Like you, I personally doubt that we as a species will do enough to prevent run-away global warming before there are terrible repercussi
given that all matter is energy and the earth is a giant electrical battery (magnetosp
spending massive infrastruc
Similar to Al Gore and his cap and trade "investmen
I am so hoping this country is able to start and keep up our Green Economy. I believe your thoughts and ideas, along with any Congress passes, could only lead to more jobs, and a good independen
Love Texas, love Texans, hate BigOil&Gas
Think of how much energy it takes to transport cattle, feed, meat, etc.
This discussion is not the point of this post, but you make a valid point.
FreddieVee
Sir, about 20 years ago I switched everything in my home over to Propane. We live in the country so natural gas was/is unavailabl
The only way you will sell the American people on any type of new, or old energy, will only happen when it costs less than it does now. That's the simple truth. Most people are not buying the Al Gore con-job, so if you really want to do something that will make a difference
For any Conservati
If you think Racism has anything to do whatsoever with Global Climate Change you are delusional
Well, propane contains 91,690 BTU per gallon, versus 125,000 for gasoline, so I would imagine it would take more propane to do the same amount of work - 1.36 gallons. So that $5/gal. becomes the equivalent of $6.80 for the same amount of energy. You are not going to get people to pay 2 1/2 times as much to run these machines, smog alerts or no.
Propane has been used on forklifts for decades, because its exhaust is far less poisonous in warehouses
Propane has also been used on over the road trucks for decades, but in much smaller numbers. Still, if diesel and gasoline get back up to $4/gallon, or become scarce, those running their trucks on propane will look very smart.
I also have a '77 GMC 3/4 ton 4x4 that runs on domestic propane. It's my feed wagon so it goes long periods of time without being used but whenever I need it I know it will start right up, unlike gas that goes bad and often "gums up" the carburetor when not used regularly. It runs as well or better than my late model gas burning Toyota.
Propane and natural gas are important pieces in the plans for our energy future. It just makes sense to use our own resources as the bridge to energy independen
You are 100% Correct, any vehicle can be converted to run off of Gas or Gasoline, I believe stead of CAFE Standards passing legislatio
-Sarge