WASHINGTON -- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman last week announced $8.6 million for 16 projects to expand the use of alternative transportation fuels.
Combined with funding from the participants, more than $25 million will be invested in the nation's alternative fuel infrastructure. The grants are part of the Clean Cities program and were selected under three topic areas including refueling infrastructure for E85 and alternative fuels; incremental cost for altfuel vehicles; and idle reduction training and awareness for school [image-nocss] districts.
This public-private partnership helps bring diversity of supply to our transportation fuel market, Bodman said. We need to integrate a diversity of supplies and a diversity of suppliers in order to reduce our reliance on any one particular type of fuel, or particular supplier. By building our energy infrastructure we create an environment in which American consumers have more choices in the transportation fuel they use.
The projects represent significant diversity among the recipients and geographic locations. They include efforts to bring altfuel infrastructure to regions of the country in which it does not currently exist.
The refueling infrastructure topic area considered projects that include new dispensing facilities or additional equipment or upgrades and improvements to existing refueling sites for alternative fuel vehicles (AFV). The 13 projects selected under this topic include the installation of altfuel blending and refueling infrastructure at more than 180 locations in 25 states and the District of Columbia. This includes the installation of infrastructure to dispense E85 at both converted and new stations. Additional projects involve the installation of biodiesel blending capabilities at existing petroleum facilities for improving the availability and distribution of low-level biodiesel blends.
Successful implementation of the planned infrastructure projects is expected to result in reducing the consumption of petroleum-based fuels by up to 30 million gallons per year.
Some of the projects include:
WestStart-CALSTART, Pasadena, Calif., will install 15 publicly accessible E85 refueling stations along interstate highways in the Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Joaquin Valley areas. Additionally, five of these locations will potentially also have biodiesel fueling capability. Team members include CleanFuel USA, United Oil, Pacific Ethanol, State of California, and General Motors. Clean Cities partners include Southern California, San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast. (DOE Share: $495,000 Proposed Total Project Cost: $2,371,363.) The National Biodiesel Board, Jefferson City, Mo., will install six biodiesel blending terminals at existing petroleum facilities in five states including Arizona, Florida, Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania. The primary approach of the project is to market biodiesel in relatively low blending ratios with conventional diesel. Team members include Sustainable Energy Strategies, HWRT Oil Co., Independence Biofuels Inc., Sprague Energy, TransMontaigne and West Central. Clean Cities partners include Greater Long Island, Greater Philadelphia, Tucson and Florida Gold Coast. (DOE Share: $494,998 Proposed Total Project Cost: $3,539,101.) World Energy Alternatives LLC in Chelsea, Mass., will expand the availability of biodiesel by installing rack-injection, in-line blending capabilities at four diesel terminals including Tacoma, Wash.; Champaign, Illinois; Robinson, Illinois; and Toledo, Ohio. The proposed in-line blending is expected to significantly improve quality control of the final product. Team Members include Marathon Petroleum Co, Sound Refining Inc. and the City of Toledo. Clean Cities partners include Puget Sound and Central Ohio. (DOE Share: $707,700 Proposed Total Project Cost: $3,165,360.) The Commonwealth of Virginia in Richmond, Va., will install up to 12 publicly accessible E85 fuel dispensing stations along the I-95, I-64 Crescent Corridor that passes through Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. This project will make E85 available to an estimated 15,000 public and private flex-fuel vehicles. Team members include the State of Maryland, the DC Energy Office, the General Services Administration and General Motors. Clean Cities partners include Virginia Hampton Roads, Maryland and Metro Washington. (DOE Share: $284,000 Proposed Total Project Cost: $767,000.) The New York State Energy Research & Development Authority, Albany, NY, will install up to about 30 publicly accessible E85 refueling stations across the state of New York and will leverage the New York State Thruway Authority's activities in developing E85 along state thruways. Team members include the New Tork Department of Transportation, New York Department of Motor Vehicles, New York Thruway Authority and New York Department of Agriculture & Markets. Clean Cities partners include Western New York, Genesee Region, New York City, Greater Long Island and Capital District. (DOE Share: $500,000 Proposed Total Project Cost: $1,170,000.) The Triangle J Council of Governments in Research Triangle Park, N.C., will install E85 refueling infrastructure at 21 stations and B20 infrastructure at 14 stations along heavily traveled interstates in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. Team members include United Energy, Osage and Georgia Power. Clean Cities partners include Triangle, Palmetto State, East Tennessee, Middle Georgia and Centralina. (DOE Share: $586,000 Proposed Total Project: $1,353,080.) The State of Colorado will install publicly accessible E85 and biodiesel refueling stations at five locations throughout Colorado. Work will also include educating car dealers and the general public about the benefits of altfuels. Team members include Great Western Ethanol, General Motors and numerous state and county agencies. Clean Cities partners include Colorado Springs, Northern Colorado and Denver Metro. (DOE Share: $350,000 Proposed Total Project: $1,047,000.) The State of Indiana will establish a network of E85 and Biodiesel refueling stations spanning from Lake Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico. The project will coordinate the placement of 31 public access alternative fuel refueling stations along 886 miles of the I-65 corridor from Gary, Indiana to Mobile, Alabama including 19 stations in Indiana, three in Kentucky, three in Tennessee and six in Alabama. Team members include the Indiana Soybean Board, the Indiana Department of Transportation, the Kentucky Energy Office, the Tennessee Energy Office and various retailer outlets. Clean Cities partners include Central Indiana, South Shore, Middle Tennessee, Central Alabama and Kentucky. (DOE Share: $1,332,288 Proposed Total Project: $2,874,689.) Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority in Springfield, OR, will establish one wholesale E85 rack in a centralized location and install a minimum of 15 E85 retail refueling stations in the Pacific Northwest along the I-5 corridor. Team members include the Oregon Department of Energy, Tyree Oil, Sequential Biofuels and Star Oil. Clean Cities partners include Puget Sound and Columbia-Williamette. (DOE Share: $662,425 Proposed Total Project: $1,487,325.) Kum & Go LC, West Des Moines, Iowa, will install E85 refueling infrastructure at 24 of its existing retail stations; 19 sites are in Iowa and the rest are in South Dakota and Minnesota. General Motors is a team member. (DOE Share: $1,500,000 Proposed Total Project: $3,500,000.) Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities, Inc. in Philadelphia, PA, will convert 14 existing refueling infrastructure locations to have E85 dispensing capability. These stations will be located along a 200-mile corridor from State College, Pa., to Philadelphia. Team members include General Motors, Independence BioFuel Inc. and various retailers including Worley & Obetz and Shipley. (DOE Share: $280,380 Proposed Total Project: $914,880.)The incremental cost for alternative fuel vehicles topic area provides support for projects for the incremental cost of placing new or converted highway-certified vehicles in service.
The idle reduction training and awareness for school districts topic area considered the development and implementation of comprehensive school bus driver, student, faculty and parent education and awareness programs to eliminate or reduce idling in school districts. Two projects were selected under this topic.
The Clean Cities Program was created in 1993 as a result of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to provide technical, informational and financial resources to both regulated fleets and voluntary adopters of altfuels and is focused on advancing the economic, environmental and energy security of the United States by supporting local decisions to adopt practices that contribute to the reduction of petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. Since its inception in 1993, Clean Cities has grown to more than 80 coalitions and 4,800 stakeholders across the country, put close to one million AFVs on the road, and displaced more than one billion gallons of gasoline. In 2004 alone, Clean Cities displaced 237 million gallons of gasoline through the use of altfuels, AFVs, idle reduction technologies, fuel economy measures and hybrid vehicles.
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