| DENVER, Colorado,
June 3, 2004 (ENS): Denver's first retail biodiesel
filling station has opened in an area known for having
some of the worst air quality in a city known for its
brown cloud of pollution. The Offen Petroleum station
is located at 5201 York in Denver and is selling B20,
a mixture of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel,
to the public.
Some 50 U.S. cities currently use biodiesel commercially,
but Denver is the largest city to use B20 to date. More
than 400 major fleets use biodiesel nationwide.
Biodiesel is a cleaner burning fuel that can be made
from domestic renewable resources such as vegetable
oil. It can be used in any diesel engine with few modifications
or none at all. The fuel can be burned in its pure form,
known as B100, or blended with petroleum diesel at any
level.
Denver's biodiesel pump opened for public sale on May
19, with the enthusiastic support of Denver Mayor John
Hickenlooper, whose official car is a gas-electric hybrid
vehicle from the city’s fleet.
“This is a giant step forward in terms of the
city’s commitment to conservation, energy efficiency
and environmental health,” said Hickenlooper,
“I commend our Public Works and Fleet Management
Departments for their innovation and look forward to
the results of this pilot project."
Blue Sun Biodiesel, the Colorado company that is supplying
biodiesel to both the city and the Offen Petroleum pump,
also announced nine other pumps opening on the same
day throughout the state.
"Biodiesel represents a tremendous opportunity
– both environmentally and economically –
for the region," the mayor said.
“Colorado’s beauty would inspire anyone
to become an environmentalist, and it has become a leading
state in retail biodiesel pumps as well fleet users,”
said Joe Jobe, executive director of the National Biodiesel
Board.
Other users in the state include the town and ski resort
of Breckenridge, the City of Lakewood, the University
of Colorado, Littleton Public Schools and Peterson Air
Force Base in Colorado Springs.
Tim Cunningham, Denver Metro Clean Cities coordinator
and air quality program manager the American Lung Association
of Colorado, is hopeful the availability of biodiesel
will encourage more drivers to use the cleaner fuel.
“The Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment estimates that diesel exhaust is responsible
for 60 to 80 percent of urban air toxics, and the use
of biodiesel is one tool that people can use to reduce
air pollution and protect public health,” Cunningham
said.
“The station is conveniently located near a major
interstate and in an area of the Denver region that
has a high concentration of diesel vehicles. I am hopeful
that public demand will increase biodiesel fueling stations
in and around the Denver metro region," he said.
Biodiesel reduces emissions such as carbon monoxide,
unburned hydrocarbons and particulate matter. It is
nontoxic, biodegradable and essentially free of sulfur
and aromatics. Biodiesel offers similar fuel economy,
horsepower and torque to petroleum diesel while providing
superior lubricity.
In Tennessee, managers at the Big South Fork National
River and Recreation Area (NRRA) are convinced of the
benefits of biodiesel, and this season they have begun
to use the fuel to run their fleet of maintenance vehicles.
Big South Fork NRRA vehicles will be using B20 to fuel
its vehicles. Low-NOx additive is being added to the
B20 to reduce the formation of ozone gases and increase
overall fuel efficiency.
Several public biodiesel pumps have opened in Tennessee
and Arkansas. McNutt Oil recently opened the first public
B20 pump in Tennessee at the Mr. Gas Texaco fuel station
in Alcoa. Another B20 pump opened in Newport and a B100
pump opened in Loudon.
In neighboring Arkansas, a biodiesel pump recently
opened in Stuttgart.
Biodiesel will soon be even more readily available.
World Energy Alternatives, LLC has announced the re-opening
and upgrading of the largest multi-feedstock biodiesel
production facility in the United States, the National
Biodiesel Board reports. The 18 million gallon per year
plant located in Lakeland, Florida is managed by Purada
Processing, LLC, a World Energy subsidiary.
Gene Gebolys, founder and CEO of World Energy, said,
“Biodiesel is booming because it is the easiest,
most effective, and most affordable way available today
to integrate renewable energy into our main stream energy
supply.”
For a map of biodiesel retail stations, visit: http://www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/guide/
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