A Natural Gas Stock That Could Clean Up

Editor's Note: Jon D. Markman writes a weekly column for CNBC on MSN Money that is republished here on TheStreet.com.

---

Even though the market is throwing a temper tantrum this summer over the concurrent bursting of the private-equity bubble, the credit bubble and the real estate bubble, at least one truth remains self-evident: The world is still running out of oil, and the one-two punch of rising Asian demand and broadening environmental restrictions make both alternative and "clean" energy look increasingly like a sure bet.

To be sure, the alternative-energy field is filled with rogues, bogus elixirs and questionable technologies, including such weird ideas as harvesting the power of algae grown in giant plastic baggies. Yet there are quite a few serious efforts in the marketplace today that are well-grounded and potentially very profitable.

Over the next year, I'm going to try to guide you to the intersection of investment opportunity and the future of energy. We will try to make money by taking positions in companies with real-world solutions and also save money by exposing charlatans.

Cleaning Up

First up this week, let's take a look at a totally down-to-earth and already almost profitable idea -- developing and expanding the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel for corporate and municipal trucks, buses and cars.

These fleets, which focus on making round trips every day between a central parking lot and a couple of nearby destinations, are called "return to base" vehicle applications in the trade, and account for a vast portion of total corporate and government driving, something like a $21 billion business in the U.S. alone.