Other Financial Considerations Customers who are considering owning and operating CNG fueling stations will have a slightly more complicated financial analysis to compare fuel prices. Generally speaking, this involves taking the price of the uncompressed natural gas and adding the costs of owning, operating, and maintaining the compression equipment. Unlike liquid fuels which pool on the ground when leaked or spilled, natural gas is lighter than air and will dissipate into the atmosphere. Fahrenheit compared to about 600 degrees Fahrenheit for gasoline, making it more difficult to ignite. Therefore, in concentrations of air below 4 percent and above 14 percent, natural gas will not burn.
Natural gas is neither carcinogenic nor caustic.
In addition, natural gas is noncorrosive and will not contaminate ground water like liquid fuels. A recent national survey published by the American Gas Association found that the injury rate in accidents involving natural gas vehicles, measured in vehicles miles traveled, was 37 percent lower than the rate for gasoline vehicles. Further based on the records of 278.3 million miles traveled, no deaths involving NGV use occurred, compared to a death rate for gasoline vehicles of 2.2 fatalities per 100 million miles traveled. One of the main reasons why NGVs have resulted in fewer passenger injuries and no deaths is that fires are less likely to occur in crashes involving NGVs than in those involving gasoline powered vehicles. This is credited to the unique characteristics of natural gas described above.