The state of Alabama and the city of Montgomery (AL) have teamed up to produce biodiesel from used cooking oil for the city’s and the state agriculture department’s trucks.
This press release from the Alabama ag department says the announcement came during a joint press conference with Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks and Montgomery’s Mayor Bobby Bright:
“I can think of no better way to help clean our environment and fuel our trucks and heavy equipment at the same time,” said Sparks. “Our ability to make biodiesel right here in Montgomery is a significant step toward keeping our landfills and sewer systems free of used cooking oils and protecting our energy security.
Staff members from the Department of Agriculture & Industries’ Center for Alternative Fuels have been talking with Mayor Bright’s staff over the last few weeks to develop a plan for producing alternative fuels to be used in government vehicles. Mayor Bright said several senior city officials had recently toured a similar facility in Hoover and saw the advantages Montgomery could gain from such an operation. Sparks toured the same facility early this week and decided to put the plan into action immediately.
“Commissioner Sparks contacted me and offered this great opportunity that was just too good to turn down,” said Bright. “This process is working in several other cities across the state and we are extremely pleased that we can put this into action for Montgomery’s citizens.”
Officials are turning the used cooking oil into the clean-burning B20 – 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent conventional diesel. Not only is it god for emissions, it will keep that much used cooking oil out of area landfills.
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The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) have teamed up in an effort to match up businesses who want to “ship green” with trucks that run on the green fuel, biodiesel.
The SmartWay Transport Partnership is an innovative collaboration between the EPA and the freight industry. Its goal is to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. EPA SmartWay Grow & Go will also help reduce U.S. dependence on petroleum.
“The NBB and EPA SmartWay have a long working relationship with the goal of helping the trucking industry adopt renewable fuels to help reduce fuel usage and emissions from burning fuel,” said Mitch Greenberg, Program Manager, U.S. EPA SmartWay. “Grow & Go was developed to help increase the use and acceptance of biodiesel in the freight industry, and to educate truckers and small fleets on the benefits of biofuels. It became clear there was a need to help shippers identify carriers using renewable fuels.” 
National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe (left) and Bob Dinneen (right), CEO & President of the Renewable Fuels Association have been recognized as “Friends of GROWMARK” – an agricultural cooperative and petroleum distributor.
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A new computer program is making it easier for truckers to fill up on biodiesel. Commercial trucking software maker ProMiles has developed a program that helps truckers find biodiesel stations through their in-cab computers and laptops.
“ProMiles is the first mapping software company to approach us about showing biodiesel locations in its mapping software,” said Tom Verry, Director of Outreach and Development, NBB. “They are pioneers in the industry and are looking to keep current with what their customers are demanding.”