Photo Credit: todbaker
Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens’ plan to move the nation’s vehicle fleet to natural gas is creating excitement in the White House.
President Obama has already unveiled a tax break for commercial trucks that run on natural gas. And this is just the beginning of his plan; he hopes that other tax breaks and subsidies will result in natural gas stations opening up all over the U.S.
“While using natural gas is in the country’s best interest given the enormous supply available, why should taxpayer dollars be used to encourage vehicle manufacturers to make the switch as well as benefit big politically connected investors?” says Bill Wilson, president of Americans for Limited Government. “This resource is already in demand and the free market will take care of the investment side of the equation. So why does the federal government need to get involved?”
Wilson continues, “As we’ve seen in several occasions, when the federal government props up a specific industry that industry doesn’t seem to last—in the last few months one green energy company after another has gone bankrupt. Natural gas is a positive and plentiful resource available to this country. Let the free market designate its purpose and profitability—not the government.”
