Compressed Natral Gas (CNG) is a newly discovered way for mainstream American to fuel their vehicles.  However, government fleets have been fueling their vehicles with CNG for years.  Currently, the U.S. has roughly 1,100 CNG filling stations across the country compared to the approximately 12,000 filling stations worldwide.  CNG may be an answer to America's need for cleaner, efficient, domestically produced abundant fuel.
 
    CNG has the same qualities of gasoline or diesel powered engines as well as the similar performance numbers in both power and efficiency.  Here's the catch: with the same performance, CNG costs approximately 40 percent less than gasoline.  Furthermore, it emits up to 90 percent less emissions overall, compared to its gasoline counterparts.  CNG fuel systems have been incorporated in fleet vehicles for both the government and private industry since the early 1990s.  Currently, the only non-modified, factory built CNG vehicle for mass production is the Honda Civic GX.  However, factory approved conversion kits from Ford and GM are available on their respective vehicles.
 
    One might be wondering: well, is it CNG safe?  It is gas, and it is under pressure.  Thought CNG is compressed to 1 percent of its normal atmospheric pressure, the tanks are sealed to prevent any mishaps.  In the unfortunate event that something nearly catastrophic happen and the sealed tank does rupture, because it's natural gas, the fuel merely returns to its normal gasious state and naturally dissipates into the atmosphere.  As an added fact of safety, the ignition temperature for natural gas is double that of gasoline; at approximately 1,200 degrees fahrenheit.  Additionally, natural gas will not contaminate ground water, unlike gasoline.  So, in the event of a complete failure, science is on your side for your safety and the environment.
 
    There is one other added benefit is the economic and political impacts of using CNG to fuel our vehicles.  America has natural gas wells all over the country; it's one of our nation's top resources for energy.  If a shift to CNG occurs, America will no longer have to depend on foreign sources for fuel since we have an abundant domestic resource for fuel.  With the extraction and processing of natural gas to be used as a mainstream fuel solution, the potential for the creation of thousands of jobs in the United States is apparent.
 
    If you would like any more information about CNG, and are interested in its implementation into our infrastructure, please visit the follow links:
 
U.S. Dept. of Energy Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/
 
CNG Now!  Action Group
http://www.cngnow.com