LNG sold as diesel-gallon equivalent? Weight, measures council pushing for it

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lngA committee for the National Council on Weights and Measures has recommended that liquified natural gas be sold in terms of a diesel gallon equivalent rather than in units of mass, as it is now. 

The NCWM will hear comment on the proposal and vote on whether to adopt it in July in Detroit at its annual meeting.

NCWM says fuel buyers are used to buying fuel in gallons, but LNG is dispensed according to its weight, rather than its volume. 

By selling the alt fuel as a diesel gallon equivalent, buyers can more easily compare alt fuels with conventional fuels like diesel and gasoline, the group says. 

“These standards are of extreme importance to provide national uniformity,” says Mahesh Albuquerque, chair of NCWM’s Steering Committee and director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. “A uniform method of sale allows consumers compare cost and quantity and allows equipment manufacturers to design systems to meet just one set of requirements.”

Moreover, a standard unit is necessary for states to implement taxation plans for LNG and fairly compares BTU content relative to taxation, NCWM says.

NCWM also points to compressed natural gas as a precedent, saying roughly 20 years ago the industry decided to make gallon-equivalent sales of CNG standard.

The group will vote July 16 and 17 on the recommendation. 

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