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Hi I'm Dave Gardy for Clean Cities TV. The Educational Internet TV Channel of The U.S.
Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program. Biodiesel is a cleaner burning advanced biofuel
made from American grown and produced renewable resources that can be used in virtually all
diesel engines. Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition a US Department of Energy Clean Cities Coalition
in cooperation with the United Soybean Board, Checkoff Communications Program, produced this
video on the city of Hoover, Alabama's successful award winning integration of B-20 biodiesel
into their municipal fleet of diesel vehicles. The effort was supported by the Alabama Clean
Fuels Coalition. Here's their story.
Narrator: More than 110 years ago, at the 1900 New York
World's Fair, Rudolph Diesel displayed the first diesel engine fueled by Biodiesel made from
peanut oil. Today we send one billion dollars a Day to foreign countries to buy petroleum
diesel....Isn't it time, after 110 years, that we increase the use of American produced biodiesel
in our diesel vehicles allowing us to increase jobs and keep our money in America? The Alabama
Clean Fuels Coalition, In cooperation with the United Soybean Board Checkoff communications
program, is pleased to bring you three real life experiences using biodiesel. In a school bus
fleet, a municipality and a utility. First, a little biodiesel 101! Biodiesel is a cleaner
burning, advanced biofuel made from American grown and produced renewable resources such as
soybean oil, canola oil, peanut oil, animal fats and even used cooking oil. Biodiesel is used
in diesel trucks, school buses, transit buses, military equipment, off-road and mining
equipment and, of course, diesel passenger vehicles to name just a few. Biodiesel is blended
with petroleum diesel in many combinations. The most commonly used is a B20 blend made up of
20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel. B20 Biodiesel helps cut the harmful emissions like
carbon monoxide and particulate matter...and lessens the dirty black smoke spewing from the
exhausts of diesel vehicles. Virtually every diesel engine on the market today can use cleaner
burning biodiesel without any vehicle modifications. Soy Biodiesel helps extend engine life and
offers diesel users better performance due to its higher Cetane level. Biodiesal also has more
lubricity over ultra low sulphur diesel. And it's the safest fuel to use, handle and store! Now
on to a progressive Alabama city that has embraced all alternative fuels. 88 percent of all
Hoover Municipal vehicles run on alternative fuels including B20 biodiesel, E85 ethanol,
propane and electricity. The City of Hoover with over 35,000 front doors and a population of
over 81,000, is the 6th largest city in Alabama. Since 2006, Hoover has purchased and used
commercially produced B20 biodiesel, In their municipal fleet of diesel vehicles. In addition
to commercially purchased B20 Biodiesel, In 2007 Hoover began making their own biodiesel from
used vegetable oil donated by restaurants and citizens in the community.Over 160 Hoover city
diesel vehicles fuel with B20 biodiesel. City diesel vehicles that come in for scheduled
preventive maintenance get "topped off" with B100 biodiesel produced on site from used
vegetable oil.
Dave Lindon: 2004 may tell us --decide that we needed to be in the alternative
fuel business. So we started bringing in E-85 vehicles and E-85 fuel. The grant with Alabama
Clean Cities, we were able to open our fuel stations with E-85 here. And in 2006, we started
using B-20 biodiesel commercially available. 2007 we started making biodiesel out of waste
cooking oil program by home owners. Right now we need about 215 vehicles running E-85, about
165 running B-20, and somewhere around 40 running B-100. We've had nothing but great success
with our biodiesel program, our ethonal program, and even our home cooking oil program, and we
continue to this day using all of those alternative fuels.
Narrator: As a medal winner in the prestigious international Livcom
Award, Hoover prides itself on being conscious of its
beautiful environment....using Biodiesel helps to preserve these natural wonders and the city's
air quality for future generations. For schools, Municipalities and utilities Biodiesel usage
provides a cleaner burning, American produced, alternative fuel, that can be used in virtually
all diesel engines. Biodiesel is simple to use, is biodegradable, non-toxic, and essentially
free of sulfur and aromatics. It is produced in America and creates jobs for our citizens.
Biodiesel is one of the best carbon-reducing fuels available in the transportation market. A
Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture life cycle analysis shows biodiesel reduces
lifecycle carbon dioxide by 78 per cent compared to diesel. In addition the Environmental
Protection Agency found greenhouse gas emissions could be cut by as much as 85 percent by using
biodiesel. It has been 110 years since Rudolf Diesel introduced biodiesel at the New York
World's Fair. Isn't it about time we took the simple step of using biodiesel to lessen our
dependence on foreign oil, improve our economy and create jobs for our farmers and citizens by
using biodiesel? For more information about biodiesel or other alternative fuels and advanced
technology vehicles contact the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, a U. S. Department of Energy
Clean Cities Coalition. www.AlabamaCleanFuels.org. sponsored by the United Soybean Board's
Communications Reimbursement Checkoff Program and the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition.