I am the CEO of Mississippi-based Blossman Gas and president of Alliance AutoGas.

When it comes to massive Fortune 500 companies, spending several million dollars on a compressed natural gas fueling station may not be a big deal. But for most Mississippi businesses and government agencies, it is not cost-effective.

Our governor is publicly endorsing natural gas. But at the same time, he is overlooking propane autogas, the third most widely used fuel in the world. Autogas already powers public and private fleets across Mississippi and across the United States.

Autogas is saving these fleets huge amounts of money (in many cases, these are taxpayer dollars) on fuel costs while reducing their harmful emissions.

So, why is autogas left out the conversation while Gov. Phil Bryant and T. Boone Pickens tout natural gas? Because the propane autogas industry doesn’t have multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns and teams of lobbyists.

Autogas is the natural choice for Mississippi fleets. Governor Bryant should include propane autogas in our energy policy, and alternative energy advocates should include autogas in the conversation. For all of T. Boone’s media wrangling, it’s time to face the fact that natural gas is not the only answer.

Stuart E. Weidie, CEO

Blossman Gas