IONIA COUNTY, Mich. – February 5, 2007 – It may take a while to notice, but those county trucks clearing roads of snow also are making for clearer skies.

The Ionia County Road Commission has made the switch to biodiesel, a blend of soybean oil and petroleum-based diesel, a product fast becoming Michigan's "earth friendly" alternative fuel.

Ionia, along with road crews in Calhoun, Chippewa, Eaton, Jackson, Macomb and Mecosta counties have reaped the benefits of biodiesel by taking advantage of incentives of up to $10,000 each offered by the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee.

ICRC Fleet Manager Don Chubb said he was reluctant to try biodiesel at first.

After more than a year of evaluation, however, he has found it to be as good as diesel, if not better. And at about the same price.

"It's performing well under all weather conditions, providing our vehicles with the same amount of power as we had before," he said.

RKA Petroleum of Romulus, one of the only a handful of pre-blended biodiesel distributors in the country, has been supplying the road commission with biodiesel to the tune of about 7,000 gallons per month.

RKA's Information Systems Manager Jason Hittleman said municipal agencies have been quick to jump on the biodiesel bandwagon because of properties that make for more miles per gallon.

Hittleman feels biodiesel also is better because of superior viscosity that provides added protection against engine wear.

"For many people, biodiesel is the natural choice. With prices running close to or below diesel, there's no reason not to try it," he said.

In its 29 diesel trucks, the ICRC uses B20 and B10 biodiesel consisting of diesel mixed with 20 and 10 percent soybean oil, respectively.

Though there's a risk of "jelling" with both, the county has avoided this problem by storing its fleet indoors in cold weather, Chubb said.

According to the National Biodiesel Board, biodiesel produces emissions with lower levels of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides and sulfates, compared to diesel alone.

ICRC Managing Director Dorothy Pohl likes the idea of using a renewable fuel.

"We're doing what we can to clean up the environment by choosing a product that produces less pollution. By helping reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we're also keeping our local farmers in business," she said.

For additional information on this release, please contact:

Susie Fair
The Grand Rapids Press