A Message From Congressman Russ Carnahan

April 6, 2010

Saint Louis, Missouri

Thank you for contacting me in regard to H.R. 1835, the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions (NAT GAS) Act of 2009. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.


As you know, the NAT GAS Act would extend tax credits and incentives to encourage the use of natural gas in the commercial and federal vehicle fleets. It would direct the U.S. government to run 50% of its vehicles on compressed or liquefied natural gas by 2014, and it would authorize the Secretary of Energy to administer grants for research leading to cleaner, more efficient engines powered by natural gas.


Please be assured that since coming to Congress, I have been working hard to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, bring down record-high fuel prices, and launch a cleaner, smarter energy future for America. I have consistently supported legislation to lower costs while creating hundreds of thousands of high paying, clean energy jobs.


Last year, Congress took a number of steps to encourage the development of alternative energy sources. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invested over $43 billion in researching and deploying new sources of energy. I also recently introduced legislation to create energy innovation hubs, which will be tasked with conducting intensive research to develop alternative energy sources.


Currently, the NAT GAS Act has been referred to three House committees, including the Committee on Science and Technology, of which I am a member. Please know that as this bill continues to be debated, I will keep your views firmly in mind.


Please feel free to get in touch with my office in the future if I can be of further assistance to you on this or any other matter of concern. I also hope you will find my website, carnahan.house.gov, a useful resource for keeping up with my work in Washington and the 3rd District of Missouri, and I welcome you to sign up for my e-newsletter at carnahan.house.gov/updates Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.