NEWS RELEASE OCTOBER 11, 1999

LABOUR POLICY RECOGNISES KIWI ‘NATIONAL ASSET’

The LPG industry today welcomed Labour’s decision to buy gas powered cars for the state sector.

LPG Association executive director, Peter Gilbert, said it was heartening that at least one political party was willing to reinvest in a New Zealand industry and capitalise on the LPG and CNG infrastructure that millions of taxpayers’ dollars helped to set up 20 years earlier.

“Taxpayers’ and industry invested heavily to set up New Zealand’s LPG and CNG industry and we ended up leading the world in gas transport fuels technology.

“The current crop of politicians don’t seem interested in getting a return on that investment. They would rather let another Kiwi industry die and see taxpayers’ dollars go to waste, just when the rest of the world, and the leading car makers, are all starting to use and produce gas cars.

“At least Labour realises our gas transport fuels infrastructure is a national asset from which we should be trying to get full value.

“It costs the country nothing to use and maintain, but it provides motorists with cheaper fuel – something many would be grateful for right now – and it could save the country millions of dollars each year because we wouldn’t need to import so much diesel and petrol.

“On top of that, LPG and CNG are cleaner burning fuels which will help New Zealand to control its greenhouse gas emissions. And that’s going to become increasingly important in years to come.

“Where’s the downside in all that? Labour needs congratulating for seeing that there isn’t one.”

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Issued on behalf of the LPG Association by Sigma Group (Wellington) Limited
(Daniel Paul), tel. (04) 4728-961.

For further information contact Peter Gilbert, tel. (04) 473-9519

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