Normal Eases into Biodiesel Use with B2

27 January 2005

Pantagraph.com. By April, some 100 town of Normal, Illinois vehicles will be burning a B2 biodiesel blend.

Mike Hall, Normal public works director, said the city will use about 67,500 gallons of biodiesel annually. Evergreen FS in Bloomington will supply the fuel. About 100 diesel-powered garbage trucks, backhoes and other heavy trucks will burn the fuel about nine months every year. The town’s vehicle fleet numbers about 270.

“The biodiesel gels at higher temperatures. We’ll also be putting on finer fuel filters because the biodiesel tends to act more like detergent and cleans out fuel tanks,” said Hall, noting the filter replacement will be a one-time cost of $2,500.

Hall said fuel filters will probably be replaced more frequently, adding about $8,000 in maintenance costs.

“As a manager of funds, I can’t justify using the fuel based on economics. It’s a policy decision to support individuals in our community and protect the environment,“ said Hall.

Tax credits will clost the gap a bit.

Normal joins a growing list of public entities burning biodiesel. Twenty-one Illinois school districts use the fuel in buses, including Eureka, Olympia, Fieldcrest, Clinton, Tri-Valley, Metamora and Unit 5 in Normal.

B2 is a small start...but it is a start.