U.S. Senators call for consumer-friendly labeling of LNG

U.S. Senators John Thune and Amy Klobuchar led a bipartisan group of 32 senators in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker supporting a common-sense proposal to permit Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) labeling that encourages consumer-friendly price comparisons.

The National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) proposal would allow LNG to be marketed in “diesel gallon equivalent” (DGE) units when sold as a motor vehicle fuel. The suggested modification would allow consumers to make understandable price comparisons for different fuel options, supporting the use of domestically produced natural gas in the transportation sector.

In their letter, the senators note: “There is growing interest in the use of cleaner, U.S. produced vehicle fuels, and we believe the NCWM steering committee’s recommendation will encourage even greater consumer adoption.”

The NCWM is a nonprofit association that works closely with the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop standards for weights and measures for a variety of products and equipment. Next week, the NCWM is holding its annual meeting in Detroit, Michigan, and is scheduled to consider a recommendation from its Natural Gas Steering Committee to permit LNG to be marketed in DGE units, given that LNG largely competes with diesel fuel.

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Press Release, July 11, 2014; Image: thune.senate.gov