Ensign: Fuel, not vehicles, cause of LV pollution problems

Larry Henry

Thursday, Dec. 18, 1997 | 11:22 a.m.

Rep. John Ensign says full-sized vehicles -- such as his GMC pickup and his wife's Lincoln Town Car -- aren't the reason Las Vegas has a pollution problem.

The vehicles aren't the culprit, he says. The gas in the tank is what dirties the air.

The Nevada Republican said Wednesday that he'll push for legislation giving tax breaks to companies that produce clean-burning fuels.

Among those fuels are compressed natural gas, which some Citizens Area Transit buses burn, and a water-based product made in Reno called 855.

Several vehicles that use natural gas instead of refined petroleum were parked behind Ensign during Wednesday's press conference, including a pizza delivery truck, a police car and a CAT bus.

Environmentalists have complained that large vehicles such as Ensign's are worse for the air than smaller cars because they burn more gas. Carbon monoxide from auto exhaust is the leading reason that Las Vegas ranks as one of the five worst U.S. cities in air quality, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

If the problem worsens, regulators could impose stricter smog-check standards and might cut federal highway funding.

Ensign said consumers have a right to drive any vehicle they choose. He said a vehicle's size wouldn't be a problem if the fuel were cleaner.

"Some people want us all to drive compact cars," Ensign said. "That's not the concern."

Experts say cost and availability prevent average consumers from using electricity or unusual fuels to power their vehicles.

The engine needed to burn natural gas can cost $3,500, and only about 1,200 facilities nationwide sell the product, compared to the "tens of thousands" that sell conventional gasoline, said Richard Kolodziej, president of the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition.

Kolodziej said natural gas costs 50 cents a gallon less than other gasoline.

Ensign said the public will gravitate toward cleaner fuels if alternative companies are given tax breaks to keep the price low.

Among those attending the press conference Wednesday were protesters carrying placards taking Ensign to task for his environmental voting record.

According to a handout from one protester, Ensign receives low grades from the League of Conservation Voters for opposing clean-air legislation.

Ensign said the protest was a "political ploy."

Ensign has declared that he'll challenge Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in the 1998 election. Retired publisher Bruce James is running against Ensign in the September GOP primary.