Students at Iowa State University will get to class a little smarter… and not just because of good study habits. The school and the university’s hometown of Ames, Iowa have inked a deal with Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group (REG) that will see CyRide, the transit agency serving the City of Ames and Iowa State University, to supply biodiesel blended fuel in 2015.
REG Energy Services, LLC began providing 350,000 gallons of fuel with biodiesel blends of up to 20 percent for CyRide’s 78 buses January 1. The agreement is REG’s first with a municipality.
“We want to thank CyRide for choosing REG Energy Services as its 2015 fuel partner,” said Don Nelson, REG Director, Regional Sales. “As REG Energy Services expands, we look forward to the opportunity to work with municipalities to provide a high-quality product that provides for energy and food security, job creation and environmental stewardship.”
Ames will increase its use of biodiesel from previous years under the agreement, which provides buses with higher blends of the advanced biofuel during the summer months. The CyRide fleet serves an average of 40,000 riders daily and operates approximately 1.2 million miles a year. The city will see carbon dioxide emission reductions of as much as 658 metric tons in 2015 with the increased biodiesel blends.
The REG biodiesel will come from the company’s Magellan terminal, just down the rode in Des Moines. City officials say with the environmental benefits of the sustainable biodiesel, everyone wins with this deal.