Bossier official wants program to convert cars to natural gas
By Drew Pierson • dpierson@gannett.com • August 1, 2009


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Bossier Police Juror Barry Butler has proposed a program that would use the parish's natural gas royalties to pay for local residents to have their personal vehicles converted to run on natural gas.



"This is gas coming from land owned by people," he said. "It's managed by the Police Jury, but it's owned by the people. And if we can use the royalties from that to help them save money at the pump, I think it's a win-win situation."

On average, a gallon-equivalent of compressed natural gas costs about a third less than a gallon of gasoline. But it can cost upwards of $6,000 to convert just one vehicle to run on natural gas.

So Butler wants to see the Police Jury pay for about half — "I was a laundry mat last year back when gas was $4.00 per gallon," Butler wrote by e-mail. "A young couple with children came to the gas station to get gas. They were emptying their pockets and purses of change to see how much gas they could afford. ... These were working people who need to be able to take an advantage of the lower cost of CNG (compressed natural gas) along with everyone else."

Unlike other parishes in the area, Bossier did not lease mineral rights to its public lands during the natural gas frenzy last summer. Any royalties it would receive would be from so-called "forced pooling," whereby companies may have to drill public lands in state-allocated drilling sections, but would still have to pay the parish royalties.

Butler says that by his estimates, if the parish eventually does see all of its land become force-pooled and starts receiving royalties, Bossier could expect up to $500,0000 per month, $200,000 of which he wants to see go to natural gas conversion. The program, Butler said, would only last for about six years.

However, Police Jury reception to the proposal has been lukewarm. For starters, that $500,000 a month is a hypothetical number. The parish expects to get only about $250,000 from natural gas royalties for the entire year, and that's half of what it budgeted thanks to the precipitous drop in natural gas prices in recent months.

Bossier Parish Administrator Bill Altimus noted the parish also is moving ahead with an alternate natural gas conversion program, one intended for its vehicle fleet.

Butler said he would continue to try to build momentum. "I'm trying to build grass-roots support. The problem is when money starts to come in. Everyone has their own pet project they want to fund."


Buck