Law Requires Use of
Biodiesel in Illinois State Vehicles
August 29, 2005 — By Laura Girresch, Belleville News-Democrat
A new Illinois law will require state
and local governments, school districts, universities, community
colleges and mass transit agencies to fuel their diesel vehicles with 2
percent biodiesel.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich recently signed the measure into law to boost
biodiesel usage in Illinois. The state is already the national leader in
biodiesel -- a renewable fuel typically made from soybeans.
"This gets Illinois on the road toward greater energy independence and
less reliance on imported oil," Blagojevich said.
This is the second bill Blagojevich has signed this summer to promote
biodiesel. Earlier this summer, the governor approved a law that gives
rebates to drivers who use at least a 20 percent biodiesel blend.
The new law affecting schools and governments will take effect July 1.
Hans Detweiler, deputy director of energy and recycling for the state
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, said that for a city
like Belleville, a lot of the expected benefit of this new law has to do
with school buses and the toxins they release around children --
biodiesel is cleaner for the kids to breathe.
"B-2 is a cleaner-burning fuel, and a lot of school buses are not the
newest vehicles -- it's always annoying when you've got diesel vehicles
belching out all kinds of stuff around the kids," he said.
The law also benefits the rural communities in the metro-east because of
the growth of soybean use that will go with it, Detweiler said.
"It's an economic development tool for the state as well," he said.
B-2, the biodiesel blend mandated by the new law, is the blend with the
least amount of biodiesel mixed in.
"The most environmental benefit comes from B-20 or higher, but B-2 also
has other benefits like protecting engine life through preventing
premature engine wear and tear -- biodiesel keeps the engine
well-lubricated, " said Jenna Higgins spokesman for the National
Biodiesel Board.
The Illinois Department of Transportation is responsible for
implementing the law. Matt Vanover, spokesman for the department, said
it isn't known yet whether there would be a penalty for violation.
"At this point, we haven't adopted the rules for implementing it, and
there are a number of questions out there -- availability would be one
of them that would need to be answered," he said.
"Biodiesel is readily available in Southern Illinois," said Matt
Schrimpf, operations manager of Piasa Motor Fuels and HWRT Oil Co.
To see more of the Belleville News-Democrat, Ill., or to
subscribe, visit
http://www.belleville.com .
Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News |