The promotion of clean burning fuels has been a top priority for Congressman Ensign since his election to Congress in 1994. He introduced H.R. 3376 on March 5th, and the bill has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, where he is a member. We have been working closely with our allies in the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition and the Propane Vehicle Council to encourage Congress to provide the tools we need to stimulate the marketplace. We will now redouble our efforts to ensure that the Ensign Bill receives the bipartisan support it deserves. There are about 15,000 methanol FFVs on the road today, with most operating in California where there is a network of public and private methanol refueling stations.
Methanol also is the fuel of choice for fuel cell vehicles.
In a fuel cell, hydrogen from methanol and air react in an electrochemical process to produce electricity. Methanol is an ideal hydrogen carrier for fuel cell vehicles. Methanol fuel cell vehicles hold the promise of providing vehicles with the same range as today's internal combustion engine without pollution or noise. Methanol is a liquid chemical that can be made from renewable resources such as municipal solid waste and biomass crops. Today, methanol is primarily made from domestic natural gas.