TALLAHASSEE, FL - A group of 15 companies announced the creation of The Florida Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition (FNGVC), including TECO/Peoples Gas, Florida Natural Gas, Champion Brands, and JJ Taylor Companies. FNGVC advocates incentives similar to those in Texas and nearly a dozen other states. Such programs offer grants, tax credits and other incentives for the purchase of natural gas vehicles (NGVs).

FNGVC also released an Economic Impact Study showing NGV incentives could create over 10,000 jobs, $300 million in new wages and $1 billion dollars in economic output over two decades. Study results can be accessed on the "Public Policy" section of the coalition's website: www.fuelforjobs.com. Coalition Chair, Eric Criss, said of the study, "This is big news for job seekers in Florida. Our most conservative calculations show an NGV incentive program could produce hundreds of millions of dollars in new wages, with taxpayers reimbursed one hundred percent."

Criss explained why businesses are turning to NGVs: "We have reached the tipping point for NGVs – the technology is already in use across the nation and around the world. Moreover, businesses are desperate to cut their fuel costs. AAA reported the largest July increase for the national average retail gas price in more than a dozen years. Prices rose 36 of 39 days."

Coalition members include:
• TECO/Peoples Gas
• Florida Public Utilities
• NoPetro
• JJ Taylor Companies
• Goldring Gulf Distributing
• Beer Industry of Florida
• Florida Natural Gas
• Rush Trucks
• Champion Brands
• S.R. Perrott
• Florida Distributing Company
• All In One Fuels
• Trillium CNG
• Energy Services of Pensacola
• Cone Distributing

You can vist the coalition's website at www.fuelforjobs.com.