MANAGING PUBLIC SECTOR VEHICLES & EQUIPMENT
Whether it’s reducing reliance on traditional fuels or cutting harmful emissions, public agencies are meeting their sustainability goals through various methods.
President Trump is lifting a ban on sales of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, which would allow year-round sales of gasoline that was previously unavailable during the summer season.
In order to meet a citywide goal to become carbon neutral by 2020, the City of Austin, Texas, found success in adopting multiple alternative fuels.
The South Dakota's Division of Fleet and Travel Management, which includes 3,987 vehicles, utilized nearly 2.5 million gallons of E-10, E-30, and E-85 fuels in one year.
Brown County, S.D., will develop a plan to use a 30% ethanol blend — E-30 — in its fleet vehicles. The move would help drive the local agriculture economy and reduce costs.
Ethanol-gasoline blends are prevalent in the United States, and fleet managers should know ethanol's effects on engines and how to use and store this fuel effectively.
Unlike gasoline, which is delivered to the city by cargo ship, E-85 is transported by rail and is less likely to be delayed during severe weather or hurricanes.
The Crown Point Police Department (Ind.) has received funding to continue using alternative fuels, including the E-85 ethanol blend.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed slight increases to the amount of ethanol and biofuels that fuel producers must add to gasoline and diesel in 2017.
While campaigning in corn-rich Iowa, Donald Trump urged federal regulators to increase the amount of ethanol blended into the national gasoline supply.