WHITE ROCK, CANADA – The City of White Rock, Canada’s entire fleet of diesel-powered vehicles could be running on environmentally friendly biodiesel by next year, according to a Black Press article. Efforts had been made several years ago to convert the 40-strong fleet to using a blend of biodiesel and regular diesel, but the plan fell through after it became clear one of the City’s firetrucks could not run on biodiesel.

David Pollock, White Rock City’s director of municipal operations, is launching a fresh bid to transform the fleet to the so-called ‘green’ fuel.

“We are working on the idea right now and we hope to have something to put before council by December or January,” Pollock said, as quoted in the article. “All going well, we could have the fleet running on biodiesel before the end of 2008’s first quarter.”

However, one of the problems Pollock faces, should the fleet convert to a biodiesel blend, is fuelling the City’s ladder fire truck. He is looking into the possibility of using a mobile unit to refuel that truck.

Pollock said the city is already using a hybrid vehicle, powered by fuel and electric battery. He added the City hopes to soon be testing vehicles solely reliant on electrically powered battery.