Tennessee to Support Installation of Biofuel Pumps

17 October 2005

Tennessean. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will begin distributing $300,000 in federal grant money to support the installation of additional fueling infrastructure—storage tanks and pumps—for ethanol and biodiesel at fueling stations.

The federal grant, which supports transportation projects that improve air quality, calls for a 80/20 match. The intent is to jump-start the availability of alternative fuels to give motorists relief at the pump, clean the air and help wean the nation’s need for imported oil.

Alan D. Jones, TDOT’ s environmental policy adviser, said TDOT will begin seeking gas stations located in counties where air pollution levels are higher than allowed under federal air quality standards to launch the grant program.

An existing gasoline or diesel tank can be cleaned and converted for about $20,000. The cost for installing a new fiberglass tank-within-a-tank is roughly $30,000. However, replacing an existing tank could cost up to $70,000 because of problems associated with excavating near other tanks, researchers have found.

Jones said he would like to see at least 15 new sites where alternative fuel is available to the public by next year.