Cities like Bellevue, Wash., Asheville, N.C., and Boulder, Colo. are following the course of major cities like New York in switching to a B20 biodiesel blend for city fleets.
B20 is a blend of 80 percent petroleum diesel and 20 percent biodiesel made from spent restaurant oils and fats. It costs less, and reduces a fleet’s carbon footprint, helping cities meet emissions goals.
While it became a law in September 2013 that all New York diesel vehicles use cleaner-burning biodiesel fuel blends (20 percent B20 by 20161), many of the nation’s cities are interested in how impactful B20 is at reducing emissions because municipal fleets can be responsible for a large percentage of total municipal carbon footprints. Bellevue’s fleet accounts for 23.18%2, according to its online dashboard Environmental Stewardship by the Numbers, so the city is expecting its shift to B20 to reduce its greenhouse gas (GGH) emissions by 16.5%2.
Also, Bellevue’s recent contract puts the cost of B20 at $.28 less per gallon over the price of its previous B15 blend, saving the city more than $25K.
“Our new biodiesel contract is a big win for Bellevue’s Environmental Stewardship Initiative,” said Emma Johnson, the city’s resource conversation manager. “Not only is the city being a good steward of our environment, but we’re saving taxpayers a substantial amount of money.”
While most cities’ fleets are much smaller in size than New York’s ─ the largest in the country ─ the impact of a switch to B20 has proved significant to a city’s total carbon emissions. City of Asheville reported3 a 4.5% reduction in its total municipal carbon footprint in its first year using B20, which officials say accounts for 40% of their environmental impact goals.