BIODEISEL
DELIVERY
By J. FERGUSON
Sun Staff
Reporter
Sunday, July 2, 2006 12:19 PM
CDT |
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As employees of Mountain Biofuel pump 800 gallons of fuel
into a semi-truck and three tours buses, they might hear
"Bring Me Some Water" being played nearby.
As the
new Biofuel distribution business opens this week, one of
their first customers
will be Melissa Etheridge,
who is currently on a Southwest tour and will pass through
Flagstaff. The rocker intends to buy hundreds of gallons for
her fleet of tour vehicles.
Mountain Biofuel's
President Rand Anderson, who is also a local Flagstaff
musician, said their service will help the community reduce
dependence on foreign oil and support American farmers.
"Burning Mountain Biofuel's biodiesel is a positive
step diesel owners can take to make our air cleaner and our
world safer," said Andy Bessler, Mountain Biofuel's Vice
President.
According to Mountain Biofuel
officials, the current cost of the vegetable-based fuel is
$3.10 a gallon, which is very close to the statewide
average of $3.08 a gallon.
The company does
not have a station to pump your own gas and instead offers
home delivery with their 2,500-gallon delivery truck.
Mountain Biofuel sells high-quality B99, a mixture
of 99 percent virgin soybean oil-based biodiesel and one
percent petrol diesel, although they plan to offer another
blend, called B-20, to be used in cold weather
conditions.
Customers can put blended biodiesel
in their tanks straight or mix with any blend of diesel with
no engine modification.
Jonathan Kohen,
conservation manager for the city, said he is thrilled to
see a local biodiesel provider.
"Since 2003, the city has realized incredible benefits
from running city vehicles on biodiesel," said Kohen.
"As the benefits of reduced emissions, domestically
produced fuel and driver stewardship become more evident;
biodiesel will continue to increase in popularity. Mountain
Biofuels is responding the community's needs and will play
an important role in Flagstaff's future."
The
city has demonstrated a preference to purchase vehicles
which can run on biodiesel or are hybrid-vehicles like the
popular Toyota Prius.
All city vehicles which run
on diesel switched to using biodiesel in 2003.
The city has added an additional $70,000 to its
budget next year to purchase seven hybrid/flex-fuel vehicles
upgrading them rather than conventional vehicles.
The Mountain Line Transit system and Flagstaff Unified
School District both used diesel-powered buses, which could
convert their fleets to biodiesel in the future.
Local contractor Matt Robinson of Western Strawbale is
already burning Mountain Biofuel's biodiesel.
"Western Strawbale is proud to use Mountain Biofuel
biodiesel for transportation and to operate electricity on
our job sites," said Robinson. "Having biodiesel available
at the retail level is an extremely positive step for
Flagstaff."
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