Natural Gas Leads Pack, Pickens Says

T. Boone Pickens Jr., chairman of Mesa Inc., told proponents of natural gas vehicles that they are winning the competition against other alternative fuels.

Addressing the annual meeting of the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition in Dallas, Pickens said federal regulators have started believing natural gas is the best alternative fuel.

“Today Washington has begun to realize there are many alternative fuels, but there’s only one superior fuel, which is natural gas,” he said.

Pickens is chairman of the coalition, which is promoting compressed natural gas as a cheaper, cleaner alternative to gasoline and diesel fuel.

He downplayed concerns that people will be reluctant to convert existing gasoline cars to natural gas cars until there are more places to refuel. Currently, about 500 service stations in the United States sell natural gas.

“We’re out to build the demand for natural gas vehicles and the supply will follow,” Pickens said.