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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 28, 2017 01:58 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr. |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Increase Maximum Allowable Weight Limit for Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) |
| In the near future, I plan on introducing legislation that will increase the maximum allowable gross weight for commercial vehicles powered by natural gas from 80,000 pounds to 82,000 pounds. Pennsylvania is fortunate to be a state with an abundance of natural gas. Technological advancements in the past several years have led to natural gas being able to be used as fuel for heavy commercial vehicles, and as a result many fleets are moving in this direction due to the availability and relative cheap price of natural gas. Vehicles powered by natural gas (NGV) weigh more due to heavier tanks, fuel, and the related equipment. Heavy duty NGV tractor trailers that run at full weight capacity weigh closer to 82,000 pounds simply due to the weight of the necessary equipment needed to make the engine and system work. The FAST Act, passed by Congress in 2015, raised the weight limit for NGV tractor trailers to 82,000 pounds, and allowed states the ability to raise the weight on interstates. Almost a dozen states have already passed this enabling legislation, with more increases pending. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. |
Introduced as SB589