Switch to Biodiesel
[ Excerpt of SBN-P article of June 15, 2006 by Joshua Molina. ]
City switching to biodiesel
... beginning July 1, Santa Barbara will move from diesel fuel to a blend with virgin soybean oil to help power its fleet of 150 vehicles. Known as "B-20," the new fuel will consist of 80 percent diesel and 20 percent soy oil.
Santa Barbara will be the first city in the county -- and among just a few in California -- to run its diesel fleet on biodiesel.
"It is fantastic," said Dave Davis, executive director of the Community Environmental Council. "We are very impressed with the city's desire to move forward in a progressive way."
The decision comes as Santa Barbara recasts its image as an environmentally aggressive agency. In recent years, the city has installed solar panels on its bookmobile and an Eastside fire station. It created a "green team" to examine and improve its sustainable building practices. In addition, Santa Barbara has a self-imposed goal of recycling 70 percent of its waste from the county landfill by 2010.
The soaring cost of fuel in the last year has pushed the cost of diesel fuel to within 10 cents of biodiesel, making the transition more cost-effective, said Gary Horwald, fleet supervisor for Santa Barbara. The city spent about $130,000 on diesel fuel last year and Mr. Horwald said he expects that cost to stay about the same next year.
The biodiesel will be used to run street sweepers, fire trucks, beach-cleaning tractors and other large vehicles in nearly every city department.
Using B-20 will not require the city to alter its vehicles; using 100 percent biodiesel, known as B-100, would have required new fuel tanks, pumps and lines inside the vehicles. Also, B-100 is still about 40 cents more expensive than diesel.
The plan is to purchase the biodiesel from McCormix Corporation, which has stations in Santa Barbara and Goleta and will deliver the fuel to the city's underground tanks.
McCormix sells B-20 blend for $3.39 per gallon, the same price as the diesel it sells.
Santa Barbara will be the largest user of biodiesel in the county, likely buying about 50,000 gallons of biodiesel. But McCormix General Manager Steve Olsen said as the cost of diesel fuel rises, he expects more environmentally aware motorists to turn to biodiesel...
In 1999, distributors sold only about 500,000 gallons of biodiesel. In 2005, that amount soared to 75 million gallons, according BIODIESEL, the national trade organization.
While the California Air Resources Board has not yet approved transit buses to run on biodiesel, Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District spokesman David Damiano said that MTD would be interested in considering biodiesel if it is approved for use...
Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams said that the move to biodiesel is a good environmental step, but Santa Barbara can do better.
"This by itself is not enough. This is a step toward a more environmentally friendly city. It is credible. It's good. It is less bad than the alternative."
The next move for the city, Mr. Williams said, is to get even more aggressive.
"One of the next steps we should be taking is recyclable vegetable oil," he said. "Just about every restaurant that has a fryer can be a significant source of fuel."
e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com
Santa Barbara News-Press
City switching to biodiesel
... beginning July 1, Santa Barbara will move from diesel fuel to a blend with virgin soybean oil to help power its fleet of 150 vehicles. Known as "B-20," the new fuel will consist of 80 percent diesel and 20 percent soy oil.
Santa Barbara will be the first city in the county -- and among just a few in California -- to run its diesel fleet on biodiesel.
"It is fantastic," said Dave Davis, executive director of the Community Environmental Council. "We are very impressed with the city's desire to move forward in a progressive way."
The decision comes as Santa Barbara recasts its image as an environmentally aggressive agency. In recent years, the city has installed solar panels on its bookmobile and an Eastside fire station. It created a "green team" to examine and improve its sustainable building practices. In addition, Santa Barbara has a self-imposed goal of recycling 70 percent of its waste from the county landfill by 2010.
The soaring cost of fuel in the last year has pushed the cost of diesel fuel to within 10 cents of biodiesel, making the transition more cost-effective, said Gary Horwald, fleet supervisor for Santa Barbara. The city spent about $130,000 on diesel fuel last year and Mr. Horwald said he expects that cost to stay about the same next year.
The biodiesel will be used to run street sweepers, fire trucks, beach-cleaning tractors and other large vehicles in nearly every city department.
Using B-20 will not require the city to alter its vehicles; using 100 percent biodiesel, known as B-100, would have required new fuel tanks, pumps and lines inside the vehicles. Also, B-100 is still about 40 cents more expensive than diesel.
The plan is to purchase the biodiesel from McCormix Corporation, which has stations in Santa Barbara and Goleta and will deliver the fuel to the city's underground tanks.
McCormix sells B-20 blend for $3.39 per gallon, the same price as the diesel it sells.
Santa Barbara will be the largest user of biodiesel in the county, likely buying about 50,000 gallons of biodiesel. But McCormix General Manager Steve Olsen said as the cost of diesel fuel rises, he expects more environmentally aware motorists to turn to biodiesel...
In 1999, distributors sold only about 500,000 gallons of biodiesel. In 2005, that amount soared to 75 million gallons, according BIODIESEL, the national trade organization.
While the California Air Resources Board has not yet approved transit buses to run on biodiesel, Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District spokesman David Damiano said that MTD would be interested in considering biodiesel if it is approved for use...
Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams said that the move to biodiesel is a good environmental step, but Santa Barbara can do better.
"This by itself is not enough. This is a step toward a more environmentally friendly city. It is credible. It's good. It is less bad than the alternative."
The next move for the city, Mr. Williams said, is to get even more aggressive.
"One of the next steps we should be taking is recyclable vegetable oil," he said. "Just about every restaurant that has a fryer can be a significant source of fuel."
e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com
Santa Barbara News-Press
Posted by Malcolm on
6/15/2006
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1 Comments
I heard san francisco is running B100 in part of their city fleet. I wonder when santa barbara will catch up?
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