Buncombe County B20 Pump Opening

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Buncombe County pumping biodiesel for fleet
by Dale Neal, STAFF WRITER
published October 14, 2005 7:40 am

ASHEVILLE - Buncombe County will join Clean Cities coalitions across the United States at 2 p.m. today to simultaneously pump a gallon of alternative fuel into a county vehicle to celebrate the displacement of a billion gallons of petroleum – enough to fuel 2 million cars for one year. The celebration will be held at Buncombe's own bio-diesel tank located behind the County Transfer Station on Hominey Creek Road.


In January, the Solid Waste Division of Buncombe County Government started work on using bio-diesel fuel for county vehicles that run on diesel. With a grant of $29,655 from the State Energy Office through the N.C. Solar Center's Alternative Fuel Incentive Project, the county installed a biodiesel storage tank and dispensing pump. All county-operated ambulances, landfill machinery and other diesel run vehicles will now run on B-20, a form of bio-diesel fuel. The result is a 20 percent reduction in the local government's dependence on fossil fuels with every gallon pumped. It also means that all county diesel vehicles will have an adequate supply of fuel in times of emergency.

Bio-diesel is a cleaner burning diesel replacement fuel made from natural, renewable sources such as new and used vegetable oils and animals fats. B-20 is 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent regular diesel and reduces vehicle emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide up to 20 percent. Biodiesel is domestically produced thereby helping reduce the nation's dependence on imported oil and helping to boost the agricultural sector of the economy. "We are so proud to be a part of this effort and are working on other ways to improve our environment" said Bill Stanley, County Commissioner.

When asked about the Clean Cities Billion Gallon Celebration, Bill Eaker, Coordinator of the Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition, said that "The coalitions helped achieve this by implementing alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, fuel blends, heavy-truck idle reduction applications, and general fuel economy improvements to help reduce the nation's need for imported oil." The local coalition is working with government and private sector fleet managers to implement bio-diesel and other alternative fuel projects. For more information, call Eaker at 251-6622.

Contact Dale Neal at 828-232-5970 or via e-mail at dneal@ashevill.gannett.com.