An Interview with Dr. Franz-Xavier Soeldner
Ahead of next month’s Clean Fuels Consulting Critical Issues Workshop, Chickens & Eggs: Opportunities, Challenges & Strategies Building the NGV Infrastructure on 7-8 December 2011 in Brussels, Dr. Franz-Xavier Soeldner, the Deputy Head of Unit, Clean Transport & Urban Transport at the Directorate General for Transportation (DG Tren), spoke to Jeffrey Seisler, CEO of Clean Fuels Consulting about the European Commission’s developing policies for alternative fuels, and specifically about the development of the NGV infrastructure.
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Governors of the states of Pennsylvania, Colorado, Oklahoma and Wyoming have signed a MOU that offers encouragement to U.S. auto manufacturers to develop new natural gas-powered vehicles. The states have agreed to work toward switching their vehicle fleets to cleaner burning natural gas. They will also develop a joint request for proposal to the auto industry to combine the four states’ future vehicle purchases, which will help to increase demand for such vehicles in the marketplace.
France’s Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transportation and Housing, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, responded to a question about natural gas vehicles (NGVs) raised in the Assemblee Nationale in July, by saying the French government will continue to promote NGVs for their reduced emissions. In particular he spoke of encouraging prospects, both environmentally and economically, in the truck sector and of steps to promote the development of biomethane. 
Georgiy Efremov, Deputy Prime Minister of Stavropol Krai – a federal subject located in Russia’s south-west, and Raphael Batyrshin, General Director of LLC RariTEK met in Stavropol to discuss issues around the purchasing of KAMAZ compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles by the krai. RariTEK is a partner of KAMAZ for production of CNG equipment for KAMAZ trucks and CNG-powered NEFAZ passenger buses, and a service provider of this equipment. 
