Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2007
METRO TRANSIT GOES GREENER BY UPPING BIODIESEL CONTENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL -- (Aug. 29) – Metro Transit today announced the next steps in its Go Greener Initiative, doubling the biodiesel content of its fuel to a 10 percent blend starting this month.
Then in March 2008, Metro Transit will double its biodiesel again to 20 percent. Thereafter, it will alternate with a 20 percent summer blend between March and November and a 10 percent biodiesel content during winter months.
“The key advantage to biodiesel is that it lessens our dependence on non-renewable fossil
fuel – much of which is expensively imported from foreign sources in troubled parts of the world,” said Metro Transit General Manager Brian Lamb.
The action announced today will reduce the agency’s consumption of diesel fuel by 1.2 million gallons annually, Lamb said.
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty praised the biodiesel development saying, “Minnesota is leading the nation in unleashing a renewable energy revolution. Metro Transit's environmental commitment will serve as a national model and help point the way toward a cleaner, more secure energy future."
On Aug. 9 the Governor announced plan to boost the level of biodiesel sold in Minnesota from the current two percent to 20 percent by 2015.
Metro Transit made the announcement today to highlight its Go Greener activities at the State Fair during Hop on Transit Day.
Metro Transit has been using a five percent soy-based biodiesel mixture for the past 14 months, and buses at one of its five garages have been using B10 since May.
“We have been careful in embracing biodiesel to ensure that operational issues did not impact the reliability of our fleet and thus weaken the confidence of our customers in our ability to serve them dependably,” Lamb said. “Those operational challenges did not develop – except that we experienced some minor fuel gelling on two of our B20 test buses during very cold days last winter. Thus, our precaution to drop back to B10 during the cold winter months.”
Increasing biodiesel content comes with a modest cost increase. Lamb estimated an added cost of about $169,000 for the approximately eight million gallons of the B10/B20 blended biodiesel fuel Metro Transit consumes each year. The agency’s fuel budget next year is about $20.4 million.
Lamb also said that even at the B20 level the impact on Metro Transit’s fuel mileage per gallon was negligible.
Biodiesel is just one element of Metro Transit’s Go Greener Initiative. The agency is in the process of buying 314 replacement buses, 150 of which will be hybrid electric models. The hybrid buses produce 22 percent better fuel mileage and 90 percent fewer emissions than the buses they replace.
Metro Transit also was the first in the state to use ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, the cleanest available. ULSDF is now required nationwide.
“Going greener is about biodiesel, hybrid buses, new clean-diesel technology, well maintained buses and energy efficient train service,” Lamb said. “When Minnesotans think about protecting the environment, there first thoughts might not be about public transportation. Perhaps they should be.”
Metro Transit is a service of the Metropolitan Council. Customers boarded Metro Transit buses and trains 73.4 million times last year.
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(Editors: For information call Bob Gibbons, director of customer services, 612-349-7509 or via e-mail at robert.gibbons@metc.state.mn.us)
