U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced plans Friday to introduce a new bill to create and extend incentives for using natural gas as a vehicle fuel.
The Natural Gas Energy and Alternative Rewards, or NGEAR, Act would create a rebate of up to $15,000 for buying public transit or school buses that run on alternative fuels and extend tax credits for using alternative fuels or building refueling stations through 2016.
The incentives would apply to alternative transportation fuels other than natural gas, but Casey emphasized the bill as a way to create new uses for natural gas pulled from Pennsylvania.
"It facilitates the availability of clean and safe transportation alternatives; it reduces our dependence on foreign oil and it allows Americans to take control of their energy choices," Casey said.
The announcement comes after President Barack Obama supported the expanded use and production of domestic natural gas during his State of the Union speech. A similar bill to promote the creation and use of natural gas-fueled vehicles, known as the NAT GAS Act, was introduced in the Senate last year.
