Saying extraction is only “half of the job” of capitalizing on the Marcellus Shale, a group of Pennsylvania House Republicans reintroduced legislation on Wednesday to promote the use of natural gas vehicles (NGV) in the state.

The seven bills in the Marcellus Works plan include a combination of tax credits, grants and loans to help convert fleets to run on natural gas and to build new fueling stations across the state, as well as changes to existing regulations. The program is estimated to cost $55-65 million using “taxes already imposed on the industry.”

The Marcellus Works measures are:

“This plan is truly a win-win for everyone,” Saylor said. “This is an opportunity for Pennsylvania to take the lead on clean energy and it is an opportunity for Pennsylvania to encourage the development and growth of small businesses and the much-needed jobs they will bring.”

House Republicans proposed similar legislation last year, during the final months of the administration of Gov. Ed Rendell, as a way to create economic benefits from natural gas by imposing a severance tax (see Daily GPI, Sept. 22, 2010). Current Gov. Tom Corbett is a staunch opponent of a severance tax.

On Tuesday the Marcellus Shale Coalition proposed a $208 million program to build 17 fueling stations and 850 NGVs to support a Pennsylvania Clean Transportation Corridor (see Shale Daily, April 6).

Support for NGVs appears to be peaking. The Marcellus works plan comes on the same day that four members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced sweeping legislation that, if enacted, will set the nation on course to rely on natural gas for some of the country’s transportation needs over the next seven years (see intelligencepress.com). Reps. John Sullivan (R-OK), Dan Boren (D-OK), John Larson (D-CT) and Kevin Brady (R-TX) officially submitted the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act (NAT GAS Act) to Congress. The HR 1380 legislation has 76 co-sponsors and reportedly has the support of President Obama.