VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. -- Motorists traveling on Interstate 65 in Alabama will soon have the opportunity to fill up their vehicles on cleaner-burning fuels produced in America, Governor Bob Riley announced at a gas station in Vestavia Hills.
And with a new federal grant, the same opportunity will come to motorists traveling along Corridor X and Corridor V, Riley said.
The governor announced that stations in four citiesAthens, Cullman, Vestavia Hills and Mobileare scheduled to have pumps installed within the next eight months so [image-nocss] cleaner burning alternative fuels E85 and B20 biodiesel can be made available to the public.
These cleaner, more secure American sources of energy are going to be available to most Alabamians for the very first time, said Riley. Alternative fuels are not only better for our natural environment, they also help make us more energy independent. They open up new markets for our farmers. This is a win-win situation, and Alabamians can be proud of the steps our state is taking as America searches for a more secure, less dependent energy future.
The alternative fuels are possible due to a federal grant Alabama received last year from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). That grant for $312,000 is being used to add the alternative fuel pumps at Alabama stations along I-65. The DOE covers up to 50% of the cost for a retailer to add the infrastructure necessary to offer the alternative fuels.
Riley also took the occasion to announce the state is receiving a second federal grant so up to 30 stations along Corridor X and Corridor V can offer B20 biodiesel to motorists. This grant for $112,500 comes from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). It will be used to provide up to $2,500 per station for modification of existing fueling infrastructure, or the purchase and installation of new fueling infrastructure dedicated to the delivery of alternative fuels.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) partnered with the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition to select the stations where alternative fuel pumps will be added.
With record high oil prices this week, Alabama motorists will soon have the opportunity to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by having American produced renewable fuels, E85 ethanol and B20 Biodiesel, available at retail service stations in Alabama, said Mark Bentley, executive director of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. With these grants, our coalition looks forward to working with ADECA, the [ARC] and other state and federal organizations to bring our 'Alabama Clean Corridors' program to other highways in the state.
One station where the alternative fuel pumps will be installed is the Shell station in Vestavia Hills, expected to be installed by July. Three other stations being built that will also make the alternative fuels available to the public are in Athens, expected to be installed by April; in Cullman, expected to be installed by April; and a location to be determined at I-10 and I-65 in Mobile, expected to be installed by April.
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, the Woodshed Store in Adair is now offering E85, said KOTV. Since opening a couple of months ago, the store has seen steady growth in sales, and hopes to eventually sell 500 gallons a day once word of E85 spreads, said the report.
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