A bipartisan effort has been put forward by a group of lawmakers in the House and Senate to introduce the Renewable Natural Gas Incentive Act of 2025, which is designed to "jumpstart the transition to cleaner fuels, slash emissions, and drive American innovation and job creation."
The lawmakers, consisting of Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) and Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (CA-38) have joined forces with Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Mark Warner (D-VA), claim the legislation has some very clear goals, specifically a $1.00-per-gallon tax credit for renewable natural gas (RNG) that's used and sold as fuel for motor vehicles, motorboats, and aviation. The credit would also apply to certified blended RNG.
The bill's sponsors say it will:
- Powerful Emissions Reductions: RNG dramatically reduces greenhouse gases and harmful pollutants that impact air quality and public health.
- Pro-Growth, Pro-Jobs: Spurs job creation across energy, agriculture, transportation, and infrastructure sectors.
- Strengthens Domestic Energy Supply Chains: Ensures the credit supports RNG produced and used in the U.S.—promoting energy reliability, supply chain resilience, and homegrown innovation.
- Applies to Blended Fuels: Expands credit eligibility to certified blended RNG, maximizing clean fuel adoption across industries.
- Long-Term Certainty: The credit remains in place through 2035, providing long-term market certainty and a stable runway for private-sector investment.
Described as a "common-sense solution," Rep. Sanchez stated that "Heavy-duty trucks and buses are major contributors to pollution, accelerating climate change and worsening public health problems. By transitioning to renewable natural gas, we can reduce these harmful impacts while providing a cleaner, more affordable fuel option. Our tax credit will incentivize replacing outdated fleets with more sustainable alternatives, ensuring a healthier environment and a stronger economy without disrupting operations or increasing costs."
[Related: Renewable natural gas best diesel replacement, experts say]
Additional support
The Transport Project (TTP), an organization that promotes RNG, has also praised the bill.
"Transitioning to RNG-fueled vehicles can save money and reduce emissions, and deploys new, affordable, cleaner, and compliant technology without delay and without compromising business operations," said Daniel Gage, president of The Transport Project.
"More and more commercial fleets are discovering how allocating RNG as transportation fuel can help achieve more sustainable results immediately. We are fortunate to have bipartisan, bicameral support in advancing the use of domestically produced RNG in commercial trucking. Getting this credit passed in this Congress will promote energy security, American jobs, and fuel cost savings for businesses."
What is RNG?
RNG is produced through a process called anaerobic digestion, where bacteria break down organic matter like food scraps, animal manure, or landfill waste in an oxygen-free environment. This generates biogas which is then further purified to remove impurities to become pipeline-ready RNG. This nearly pure methane can be used like conventional natural gas, such as in a combustion engine. This process captures methane that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere, thus making it a renewable energy source.
[Related: Clean Energy's new RNG production facility requires over 2,000 cows]
Another factor set to contribute towards the growing popularity of RNG for commercial trucking is the introduction of the Cummins X15 natural gas engine, which will offer similar power and performance to that of diesel engines.
[Related: Cummins' 15-liter gives nat gas the hype it's lacked for decades]
“Because RNG captures harmful greenhouse gases at the source — like dairies and other agriculture facilities — and at the vehicle, it is rated the cleanest fuel in the world, many times cleaner than electric vehicles,” said Andrew Littlefair, CEO and President of Clean Energy Fuels Corp. “The bipartisan approach to this legislation demonstrates the win-win-win nature of RNG – reducing emissions with a very affordable U.S.-produced alternative fuel for fleets operating U.S.-made vehicles, while bring economic development to rural areas and helping our farmers.”
Several fleets already using RNG, including UPS and Waste Management, have declared their support for the bill.
