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ROB MCCLENDON: WELL WITH MORE AND MORE C-N-G VEHICLES HITTING THE
ROADS, THERE IS A GROWING DEMAND FOR PEOPLE TO WORK ON THEM.
OUR ANDY BARTH JOINS US NOW FROM A TULSA SCHOOL WORKING TO FILL THAT
DEMAND.
ANDY BARTH: ROB, THE ALTERNATIVE FUELS TRAINING COURSE HERE AT TULSA
TECHNOLOGY CENTER IS CHANGING THE WAY MECHANICS WORK ON CARS.
AND WITH THE DEMAND FOR VEHICLES RUNNING ON ALTERNATIVE FUELS AT FULL
SPEED, THE AUTO REPAIR JOB MARKET IS WIDE OPEN.
ANDY BARTH: WORKING UNDER THE HOOD IS A COMMON CAREER,BUT THANKS TO
ALTERNATIVE FUELS,THINGS ARE CHANGING.
CRAITON COOPER: THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVE BEEN PRETTY EXCITING.
ANDY: CRAITON COOPER IS THE ALTERNATIVE FUELS INSTRUCTOR AT TULSA
TECHNOLOGY CENTER AND SAYS HIS COURSE REACHES BEYOND BEING A MECHANIC.
COOPER: IT'S NOT JUST NECESSARILY AUTOMOTIVE.
THIS IS ALSO PROGRAMMED FOR STUDENTS WITH PRE-ENGINEERING OR
ASPIRATIONS FOR ENGINEERING.
THIS IS ALSO A PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WHO JUST WANT TO GET INTO AUTO SERVICE;
MAYBE THEY WANT TO WORK FOR A DEALER THAT MAY DEAL WITH SOME ALTERNATIVE
FUELS.
ANDY: AND IT'S A DIVERSE CURRICULUM.
BEN CARLTON: FIRST OF ALL IT OFFERS A LOT.
ANDY: BEN CARLTON IS AN ALTERNATIVE FUELS STUDENT AND SAYS HE'S GETTING INTO
THE RIGHT CAREER.
CARLTON: RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT ALL KINDS OF INFRASTRUCTURE FOR NATURAL
GAS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE TO MAINTAIN IT.
SO IT'S A REALLY GOOD CAREER TO GET INTO.
ANDY: THE PROGRAM AT TULSA TECH OFFERS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES, AND FOR
STUDENT JERRY STILES IT'S THE PERFECT FIT.
JERRY STILES: THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY RIGHT HERE.
I MEAN THERE'S NOT TOO MANY PLACES THAT OFFER WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH
RIGHT NOW.
IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG FIELD I'M QUITE SURE OF IT I'VE LEARNED A LOT JUST
WHAT I'VE DONE AND I'M PRETTY MECHANICALLY INCLINED TO BEGIN WITH.
ANDY: AND STILES HAS BIG ASPIRATIONS.
STILES: I HOPE TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.
I UNDERSTAND THE GOVERNMENT IS GETTING A LOT OF THESE CNG VEHICLES
, AND MAYBE GET ON AS A FLEET MECHANIC.
ANDY: AND COOPER SAYS THE QUALIFICATIONS COULDN'T BE SIMPLER.
COOPER: BASICALLY HAVE THE DESIRE FOR AUTOMOTIVE BUT ALSO SOMETHING MAYBE A
LITTLE DIFFERENT, THE ABILITY TO THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX.
ANDY: OUT OF THE BOX, TO OUT INTO THE WORKPLACE, PLACING HARD WORKING
STUDENTS IN A LIFELONG CAREER.
ANDY: NOW BECAUSE THIS INDUSTRY IS IN ITS EARLY STAGES, IT'S EXPECTED TO
GROW SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS.
PROJECTIONS ARE THAT MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND JOBS WILL BE
ADDED NATIONWIDE.
ROB: SO ANDY, WHAT CAN ONE OF THESE YOUNG MECHANICS EXPECT TO MAKE?
ANDY: WELL ROB THE PAY IS GOOD, AND THE EDUCATION REALLY ISN'T EXPENSIVE AT
ALL.
SALARIES RANGE ANYWHERE FROM 55,000 TO $60,000 ANNUALLY.
AND STUDENTS HERE PAY AS LITTLE AS $2,500 TO GET CERTIFIED.
ROB: THANK YOU SO MUCH ANDY.
ANDY: YOUR WELCOME ROB.
ROB: WELL LIKE MANY OTHER INNOVATIONS, THE POLICIES SURROUNDING ALTERNATIVE
FUEL VEHICLES ARE HAVING TO PLAY CATCH UP.
GAS TAXES PAY FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE REPAIRS ON OUR ROADS AND BRIDGES, AND
SWITCHING TO MORE FUEL EFFICIENT VEHICLES MEANS LESS REVENUE COMING IN FOR
THOSE REPAIRS.
NOW ACROSS THE NATION COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS CARRIES THE SAME EIGHTEEN
CENTS PER GALLON EQUIVALENT FEDERAL SALES TAX AS GASOLINE DOES; BUT,
HERE IN OKLAHOMA, THE STATE ASSESSES AN ADDITIONAL SEVENTEEN CENTS
PER GALLON ON GASOLINE, BUT TAXES C-N-G AT JUST FIVE CENTS A GALLON.
A DIFFERENCE THAT ADDS UP, AND HAS POLICYMAKERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
BEGINNING TO LOOK AT HOW TO UPDATE OUR FUEL TAXES, TO COVER NOT ONLY C-N-G
BUT ALSO ELECTRIC VEHICLES, THAT CURRENTYLY JUST MAKE UP SEVEN PERCENT
OF THE CARS ON THE ROAD, BUT ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO CLIMB IN
NUMBERS.
NOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW OUR GAS TAXES HAVE BEEN GOING
DOWN OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES JUST HEAD TO OUR VALUE ADDED SECTION OF OUR
WEBSITE, WHERE I DO MY BEST TO EXPLAIN HOW THAT COULD LEAD TO A BUMPY
RIDE.
THERE YOU WILL ALSO FIND GOVERNOR MARY FALLIN TAKING A SPIN AROUND TOWN
IN A NEW C-N-G POWERED BUS, PLUS, WE'LL LOOK AT THE INNOVATIVE IDEA FROM
TWO OKLAHOMANS TO TURN OUR NATION'S POSTAL STATIONS INTO C-N-G FUELING
STATIONS.
AND I ALSO SIT DOWN WITH THE GENTLEMAN CREDITED WITH BRINGING THE ISSUES
SURROUNDING C-N-G INTO THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION, NATURAL GAS PROPONENT AND
OKLAHOMA NATIVE, T BOONE PICKENS.
JUST HEAD TO OK HORIZON DOT COM WHERE YOU CAN FIND ALL OF THOSE STORIES
STREAMING UNDER OUR VALUE ADDED SECTION OF OUR WEBSITE.