The Honda Civic GX has one trick up its sleeve: Its four-cylinder engine runs on compressed natural gas instead of gasoline. The resulting emissions are negligible enough to earn the car California’s partial zero-emissions (PZEV) status, and the one we bought has been attaining a gasoline-equivalent of nearly 32 mpg, which is very good.

But this green adaptation of the Civic sedan brings a few compromises. The most serious is that natural-gas refueling stations are few and far between. There are only three in Connecticut, although some other states have many more. Currently, there are about 1,600 CNG stations nationwide, versus almost 200,000 gasoline stations.

The GX’s CNG tank also occupies a good deal of trunk space and once filled, it holds the energy of just eight gallons of gasoline. Honda rates the GX’s cruising range at 220 to 250 miles, but that might be optimistic. In our car, the low-fuel light has been coming on after only 150 miles of driving. That warning indicates only 30 miles left, which provides little leeway to look for a fill-up location given their scarcity in our area. The 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine boasts only 113 horsepower instead of the gasoline models’ 140 horsepower, so the GX is a little lazy when merging. The initial price is a little steep—we paid $25,185 for ours—but right now that’s offset by a sales-tax exemption and a generous $4,000 federal tax credit. – Consumer Reports

Use this search tool to find a Natural Gas refueling station in your area: Natural Gas Station Locator

As envisioned by Esperanza Energy, a subsidiary of Tidelands Oil and Gas Corp. of San Antonio, the terminals would be located in 1,100 feet of water, among a set of existing oil platforms. The facility, to be called Port Esperanza, would transform the super-chilled liquid fuel back into vapor and then pump it ashore through pipelines.

The proposal comes six weeks after Long Beach officials pulled the plug on plans for an $800-million natural gas terminal in the Port of Long Beach after safety concerns proved insurmountable. Sound Energy Solutions, a partnership with ConocoPhillips and Mitsubishi Corp. that is proposing the port terminal, last month sued to force the Long Beach Harbor Board of Commissioners to revive the project.

Read more