Originally published November 4 2005
West Virginia buses begin using biodiesel fuel
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The school buses in Upshur County in West Virginia are now running on biodiesel, a mixture of diesel and vegetable oil. The move effectively displaces the use of more that 600,000 gallons of petroleum fuel.
Sherry Dean has a secret she's been keeping from her drivers since March _ their Upshur County school buses are running on an alternative fuel made of vegetable oil and diesel.
"I wanted to run it without my drivers or mechanics knowing," she said.
"That way I can have a true feeling for how it's doing."
So far, the results have been "great."
Dean is among a slowly growing number of county transportation directors in West Virginia and across the nation who are switching from straight diesel to a mixture of diesel and biodiesel, a fuel based primarily on vegetable oils.
Biodiesel use has been growing since 1992 when Congress passed the Energy Policy Act in a move to reduce the nation's dependency on foreign oil.
It is estimated that usage will surpass 50 million gallons this year, said Amber Pearson with the Missouri-based National Biodiesel Board.
About 100 systems nationwide have made the switch, "and that number is growing all the time," Pearson said.
Nevada's Clark County started using the fuel after lawmakers in that state required the phased-in purchase of alternative-powered vehicles.
"The good part of that is we've displaced 600,000 gallons of petroleum fuel," said Giordano.
While county and school officials say they haven't noticed any appreciable increase in miles-per-gallon, they all say biodiesel doesn't require expensive modifications to their diesel engine buses.
Also, the fuel produces less emissions and is healthier for the 24 million schoolchildren who ride buses daily.
And, perhaps, more importantly, recent petroleum price increases _ coupled with state and federal incentives _ now makes biodiesel an economical choice.
The EPA announced a $7.5 million grant program over the summer to help school systems reduce emissions from their older buses through replacing engines or switching to alternative fuels.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml