Wind Turbine on the West Side of Pittsfield, IL

Wind turbine on the west side of Pittsfield, IL. September 4, 2015.

National Sequestration Education Center

Seen at Richland Community College, Decatur, IL. September 1, 2015.

Solar Panels

Seen at Richland Community College, Decatur, IL. September 1, 2015.

News Release from Illinois EPA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 23, 2012

Illinois EPA Designates 15 Chicago Area “Green Fleets”

Oak Park—The Illinois EPA, in coordination with the Chicago Area Clean Cities coalition, designated 15 new Chicago area Green Fleets at an event held today in Oak Park.  The Illinois Green Fleets program provides for “Green Environment, Green Energy, & Green Economics for a Green Illinois,” through the use of clean alternate fuels, such as natural gas, biodiesel, ethanol, propane and electricity in their fleet vehicles, as well as retrofiting existing diesel trucks with clean technology options to reduce diesel particulates. Information regarding the program can be found at http://www.illinoisgreenfleets.org/.  “These are family-owned and larger businesses, as well as public bodies, that have seen the value in supporting clean air, energy independence, jobs and providing insurance against the concern about high prices for gasoline and diesel,” said Interim Illinois EPA Director John Kim. “These new Green Fleets join an elite fraternity of over 100 designated fleets throughout the state. We see more and more family-owned small businesses that are taking the initiative to purchase and convert their vehicles and equipment to run on a clean American fuel,” said Darwin Burkhart, program manager for the Illinois EPA and Chairman of Chicago Area Clean Cities. The 15 new Illinois Green Fleets are: Abt Electronics, a family-owned electronics and appliance store based in Glenview, uses biodiesel in its diesel truck fleet and has 30 vans that use E85 ethanol fuel and two vans that run on natural gas. In addition, the Abt family installed diesel oxidation catalysts on eight diesel delivery trucks to further reduce particulate emissions. Groot Industries, a family operated waste hauler based in Elk Grove Village, has 33 refuse trucks that run on natural gas and has installed two natural gas refueling stations to share with other fleets. Other waste companies being recognized are Waste Management in Wheeling and Veolia ES Solid Waste in Northbrook with 33 and 20 natural gas refuse trucks, respectively. Competitive Lawn Service, a small commercial lawn business in Downers Grove, is the first lawn and landscaping business in the country to convert many of its pickup trucks and mower equipment to propane.  Doreen’s Pizzeria, a family-owned business in Calumet City, has seven natural gas-powered delivery trucks that display “Green Pizza Machines” on the sides of the vehicles. Ozinga Ready Mix, a family-owned business in Mokena, is believed to be the first concrete company in the country to convert 14 of its mixing trucks to run on natural gas. SCR Medical Transportation, a family run paratransit service in the Chicago area, operates 20 natural gas vans and shuttles for people needing mobility assistance. In addition, GO Airport Express operates two propane and two natural gas-powered shuttle vans and Yellow Cab Chicago has 79 natural gas taxis; both companies operate from O’Hare and Midway airports. Other Green Fleets that are being acknowledged at the event are Northern Illinois University in DeKalb that uses E85, biodiesel, natural gas, and hybrid vehicles in many of its trucks, buses, campus police cars, and other campus vehicles and equipment; Chicago Park District that has E85, biodiesel, natural gas, hybrids and electric vehicles; Dillon Transport of Burr Ridge that uses E85 in the company’s flex fuel vehicles; Foodliner of Franklin Park that operates six Freightliner trucks on natural gas; and the DuPage County Division of Transportation that has nearly half its fleet running on E85, biodiesel, natural gas and electricity.    ###

State (Biodiesel) Energy Initiatives Successful in IL & TX

From the Biodiesel Bulletin, January 2012:

Just before the holidays, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a five-year extension of the state’s biodiesel tax exemption. The omnibus jobs bill containing the biodiesel provision extends the incentive’s sunset date from December 31, 2013 to December 31, 2018. The incentive provides a complete exemption from the state’s 6.25% road sales tax for biodiesel blends above B10, a policy that is largely responsible for Illinois’ position as the nation’s largest domestic marketplace. Extension of the Illinois biodiesel tax incentive demonstrates the power of America’s advanced biofuel as a job and economic driver in the state. “We applaud Illinois leaders for their vision and long-term support of the state incentive and call on our national leaders to follow suit and extend the biodiesel tax incentive at the federal level,” said National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe. In addition, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) issued regulatory guidance that removes biodiesel from the U.S. EPA-mandated Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) program. The TCEQ guidance document indicates that biodiesel has no measurable negative impact on air quality, including NOx. Previous to this announcement, biodiesel blends between B6 and B20 required additization to achieve legal fuel status. With this announcement, biodiesel is no longer regulated for NOx, or any other type of emissions, in any U.S. state. A copy of the regulatory guidance document can be found HERE.