FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- In partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, Gulf Oil recently announced the grand opening of its E85 fueling station at the Charlton East Service Plaza on the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), ready to service travelers with flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs).
This station is one of four new Gulf E85 fueling stations planned for the Turnpike and represents an important milestone in Massachusetts to provide alternative, affordable, and environmentally friendly motor fuels.
Gulf has three E85 fueling stations open at Service Plazas on the Turnpike--Charlton Eastbound, Charlton Westbound and at the Westborough service plaza.
There are more than 100,000 FFVs registered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
"We are proud to be among the first to open alternative fueling locations, and we look forward to the day when we can offer more choices, primarily from our domestic sources, such as E85, biodiesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), and liquefied natural gas (LNG). No longer does one form of energy serve all of our needs; it is the combination of varied sources with environmental impact in mind that together will frame a stronger foundation for our new energy future," said Gulf Oil president and COO Ron Sabia. "We look forward to remaining a market leader in alternate fuel development and are proud that our home here in Massachusetts is in the forefront of this transformation."
According to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, there are more than 2,400 E85 ethanol fueling stations in the United States. E85 is more affordable and environmentally friendly than conventional gasoline, it said. Environmental benefits: E85 reduces ozone-forming pollution by 20% and greenhouse gases by 30%, according to the Argonne National Laboratory.
"MassDOT is committed to meeting the needs of its customers. Our residents and visitors are choosing to purchase flex-fuel vehicles. By working with our partners at Energy & Environmental Affairs and Gulf Oil, we are able to now offer travelers three fueling locations along the Massachusetts Turnpike and also advance our GreenDOT goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said MassDOT secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey.
"We are excited E85 is now available on the Massachusetts Turnpike," said Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs Rick Sullivan. "With this opening, access to alternative, domestic fuels is increasing; and that's an important step in achieving energy security and protecting our environment."
Said Sabia: "This partnership is an important example to the nation of how the public and private sectors can work constructively to solve one of the most important issues of the 21st century: our nation's energy security. Energy security and environmental improvement can be simultaneously achieved. We wish to thank all of the federal and state officials and private industry executives for having the vision and foresight to help make our E85 fueling stations on the Massachusetts Turnpike a reality."
Gulf opened its first E85 fueling station in Massachusetts in Boston, at Logan Airport, in October 2008.
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Framingham, Mass-based Gulf Oil is a national, branded supplier of motor fuels throughout the United States and its territories. It is one of the Northeast's largest wholesalers of refined petroleum products, as well as in the rest of the country, too. Gulf Oil distributes motor fuels through a network of more than 2,500 branded gasoline retail centers, 12 proprietary oil terminals and more than 130 other supply points. Gulf Oil supplies gasoline, heating oil, diesel fuel, jet fuel and kerosene through its terminal network.
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