The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, H.R.1892, passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 71–28 and the House of Representatives, 240–186. President Donald Trump has already signed the bill. The 640-page legislation contains many tax provisions, including extensions of lapsed tax credits for alternative fuel vehicles and refuelling infrastructure, with Congress retroactively extending a number of tax provisions for one year so they were effective for 2017 only.

The H.R.1892 includes provisions for new qualified alternative fuel vehicles and reinstates the $0.50/gallon alternative fuels tax credit (AFTC). As explained by the Alternative Fuels Data Centre (AFDC), part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office, the incentive, which had expired on 31 December, 2016, is applicable to fuel sold or used through 31 December 2017. The tax credit is available for Autogas, CNG/LNG, biomethane and hydrogen, among other fuels.

The AFDC notes that the Treasury will issue guidance for how to submit claims by 11 March. Claims can be submitted for a 180-day period beginning no later than 30 days after the Treasury issues guidance; the claims will be paid no later than 60 days after receipt, says the AFDC.

In December, in an effort spearheaded by the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) and the American Natural Gas Vehicle Association (NGVAmerica), more than 300 organisations representing users, retailers, customers, fleet managers, utilities and producers of clean alternative fuels, signed a letter urging Congress to reinstate the AFTC. For more information, please check this link.

28 February 2018