The Lawrenceville, Georgia city fleet supervisor got a surprise when he converted his garbage trucks to biodiesel.
“I was expecting the economy to go down and the trucks to be more sluggish,” [Lamar] Hall said. But now, “I figure it’s about 10 percent more efficient with biodiesel.”
This story in the Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution says the suburban Atlanta community is reaping the benefits of that conversion.
Drivers said their engines had more power. The trucks ran cleaner, Hall said, and came back to the shop with more fuel in the tank.
Now Lawrenceville’s garbage trucks will use a biodiesel mix, a decision that Hall figures will save the city about $12,000 a year in lower fuel costs, increased fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs.
The article goes on to show how the city saves money each time it pumps biodiesel into a 6,500-gallon fuel holding tank:
• $120 — amount the city saves because biodiesel cost less than ordinary diesel fuel
• $416 — amount the city saves because biodiesel doesn’t require an additive that ordinary diesel requires
• $1,462.50 — amount the city saves because biodiesel fuel results in better gas mileage for its garbage trucks
• $1,998.50 — total amount the city saves each time it fills a 6,500-gallon holding tank
• 6 — number of times a year the city fills its holding tank
• $11,991 — amount the city saves in one year by putting biodiesel in garbage-truck gas tanks
Money in the city’s pockets, less pollutants in the air. Any better example of win-win?
State, industry, and company officials gathered this week at a brand-new biodiesel plant near Farley, Iowa for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for Western Dubuque Biodiesel’s $50 million plant.
“This plant has no carbon (emissions),” [Nile Ramsbottom, president of Renewable Energy Group Inc. – the company that built the plant -] said. “For every gallon produced here, it’s just one less gallon we have to import.”
Officials say with the rapid rate of ethanol production there are a number of emerging issues that will continue to be important. There’s water and air quality, OSHA regulations, spill response and more. Members of the Nebraska Ethanol board say their biggest obstacle is training and recruitment. They say since 1985, around 1-thousand people have found employment at plants in the state and within the next 18 months that number will need to be duplicated.
Todd Sneller, Adm. Nebraska Ethanol Board “So it’s a significant opportunity in terms of quality jobs spread across the State in some of our smallest communities. But, it’s a significant challenge trying to find people who want to enjoy life in a small community and bring the skills necessary to run the plants located in a small community.”
The biofuels industry is rapidly picking up steam and the fast track growth is spurring a demand for professionals who are educated in biodiesel, ethanol and other alternative fuels. The 
While the Series attracted unprecedented media attention with its switch to 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol, the renewable fuel performed flawlessly with little fanfare in one of the most demanding environments in racing. The IndyCar Series became the first in motorsports to embrace a renewable and environmentally responsible fuel source, setting the standard for the “Greening of Racing”.
Firefighters in Charlottesville, Virginia will be rushing off to fires, running their fire engines on biodiesel.
In a move that can only be seen as a bold one to boost renewable fuels north of the border, the Canadian government has pledged to put $500 million into development of fuels from renewable sources.
The news is being welcomed by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, which says it will build on the environmental and economic benefits of fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.
Officials in the state of Maryland have pledged to buy more vehicles that run on ethanol and biodiesel and triple the number of hybrids in the state’s fleet by 2011.