West Chester, PA– U.S. Representatives Patrick Meehan (PA-07) and Jim Gerlach (PA-06) today joined T. Boone Pickens at West Chester University to tour the campus natural gas fueling station, learn more about the University’s natural gas initiative, and discuss their support for H.R. 1380, the New Alternative Transportation to Give America Solutions Act of 2011 (NAT GAS Act). Following the tour, they participated in a question and answer session with an audience of University faculty, community leaders, key interest groups, and others.

Representatives Meehan and Gerlach are cosponsors of the NAT GAS Act. The bipartisan bill, supported by Mr. Pickens, aims to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil by incentivizing the natural gas vehicle market. Natural gas is a cleaner, cheaper, more abundant alternative to foreign oil, and using these resources protects our country’s economic and national security. 

“Moving away from our dependence on foreign oil and focusing on American made energy is critically important,” said Representative Meehan. “It is not only in the best interest of our economic security, but also for our national security.  The NAT GAS Act will allow us to use the tremendous natural gas resources that we have right here at home, while creating nearly 500,000 American jobs.”

"We cannot allow rising gas prices to continue guzzling families' hard-earned pay and preventing small businesses from creating jobs and reinvesting in our communities," Representative Gerlach added. "There must be urgency in exploring all reasonable options for increasing the supply of American-produced energy. This legislation represents a step forward in that process and signals that we are serious about breaking the grip that wealthy foreign oil barons and dictators have on our energy supply and our economy."

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