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October 03, 2006 State Receives Funds to Bring Alternative Fuels to Alabama Drivers  During a recent visit to Alabama, President Bush joined Governor Riley to discuss the benefits of alternative fuels at Hoover’s E85 pumping station. MONTGOMERY – Motorists soon will be able to travel across Alabama on Interstate 65 using alternative fuels, Governor Bob Riley announced on Tuesday. A federal grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy will provide the state with $312,000. Governor Riley said those funds will be used to add pumps for E85 ethanol fuel at six Alabama gas stations and B20 biodiesel fuel at five stations along I-65. “With this grant, these alternative fuels will be commercially available to many Alabamians for the very first time,” Governor Riley said. “This is extremely good news because alternative fuels help us protect our environment, they give an economic boost to our farmers and they reduce our dependence on foreign oil.” The federal grant is part of a project that will place 31 E85 stations along I-65 in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana. The six areas in Alabama along I-65 targeted for E85 pumps are Huntsville/Decatur, Cullman, Birmingham, Montgomery, Evergreen/Greenville and Mobile. The same areas will be targeted for placement of B20 pumps except Mobile, where biodiesel is already available. The sites were chosen based on population, vehicle use, air quality and the number of motorists who travel through on the interstate. The sites will be located so that distances between them are less than 100 miles. The Energy, Weatherization and Technology Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and the Central Alabama Clean Cities Coalition will host workshops and events to recruit retailers in the chosen areas that would like to add E85 or B20 pumps. “Central Alabama Clean Cities is pleased to partner with the state to provide the public access to alternative fuels on I-65. Central Alabama Clean Cities, a membership based, non-profit coalition, serves as the principal coordinating point for clean, alternative fuels and vehicles in the state,” said Phillip R. Wiedmeyer, chairman and president of the organization. The grant funds will cover up to 50 percent of the cost for a retailer to add the infrastructure necessary to offer the alternative fuel. The estimated cost of adding the pumps at each station is $50,000, with the retailer paying $25,000 and $25,000 being available in grant funds. The federal government also offers a 30 percent tax credit for installation of alternative fuel stations, up to a maximum of $30,000 per year. Governor Riley has also proposed state tax incentives to encourage the commercial development and private use of alternative fuels in Alabama. His “Alabama Farms and Fuels Act” includes tax incentives to help fueling stations install or convert pumps so they can offer biofuels to the public, tax incentives to encourage biofuel production plants to locate in Alabama, and tax incentives to encourage motorists to purchase vehicles that run on alternative fuels. Governor Riley has also pledged that by 2010 the majority of state-owned vehicles will be flex-fuel, meaning they can run on E85 or gasoline. Currently, 125 vehicles in State Motor Pool are flex-fuel vehicles. ADECA has provided support and assistance to a number of projects related to the use of alternative fuels, including: the development of the state’s first biodiesel production facility, the upcoming installation of E85 fuel pumps at the State Motor Pool and the manufacture of biodiesel from vegetable oil for use in Eufaula’s city vehicles. On Sept. 29, Governor Riley announced a grant to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System for workshops and other activities to encourage other agencies to use alternative fuels in their vehicles. Last week, President Bush and Governor Riley visited the Hoover Public Safety Center to watch a demonstration of the city’s E85 pumping station and to promote the benefits of using alternative fuels. Biodiesel is produced from soybean and other crops that produce oil and can be used in conventional compression–ignition engines like diesels without engine modifications. Ethanol is a distilled alcohol-based fuel that is derived from starch crops like corn and mixed with gasoline to fuel vehicles. | |
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