Atlanta’s Retail Biodiesel Fueling Station Opens
Atlanta, Ga. (June 21, 2012) – Members of the general public, media and clean transportation partners attended the Clean Energy Biofuels’ (CEB) Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting ceremony today to celebrate Atlanta’s new biodiesel fueling station. The fueling station is the only state-of-the art, public, retail biodiesel fueling station in metro Atlanta. CEB biodiesel is a unique product – it is made from recovered waste oil from local restaurants, produced locally using 100% renewable, solar power and meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International standards – providing substantial environmental benefits far beyond biodiesel produced from other sources. The fueling station a partnership between Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), Clean Energy Biofuels (CEB) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s I-75 Green Corridor program. Attendees fueled up, learned about the benefits of using local, sustainably-produced biodiesel and this station’s part in the nation’s longest biofuels corridor. “This is the only state-of-the-art biodiesel fueling station located in metro Atlanta,” says Dr. Stephen A. Smith, executive director of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “We are very pleased to offer biodiesel to the local community and available as consumers need it. Our biodiesel is produced in the most environmentally sustainable way possible. The fuel is made from what has historically been a restaurant waste product—we are keeping it out of our landfills and sewage system, converting it in to the highest quality certified biodiesel and making it available at a competitive cost. Drivers will know by using our biodiesel that they are using greenest transportation fuel available today. CEB Biodiesel is a local, sustainable and cleaner biodiesel. Burning biodiesel produces far less toxic emissions than petroleum-based diesel fuel, which contributes to asthma and cancer. Using CEB biodiesel also ensures that fuel consumed in Atlanta is locally produced, as opposed to fuel made in the Midwest (or elsewhere like other biodiesel available in the area), which also supports the local economy. SACE is committed to diversifying our region’s fuel mix, whether it be with sustainably-produced biodiesel or further deployment of electric vehicles, are important steps for public health, the environment and for national security. “The city is committing to creating a more sustainable Atlanta,” said Denise Quarles, Sustainability Director for the City of Atlanta. “Reducing our energy demand and expanding access to renewable fuel sources for our residents and business is critical to sustaining our environmental and economic resources. We are grateful to the U.S Department of Energy, Clean Energy Biofuels, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy for bringing this much needed resource to our city.” “EPA is proud to recognize the efforts of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Clean Energy Biofuels to provide clean alternative fuel that can improve air quality by reducing emissions from diesel engines while promoting energy security,” said Beverly Banister, EPA’s Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Management Division Director in Atlanta. “Development of sustainable energy technologies such as biodiesel can translate into both economic and environmental success.” The fueling station is part of the Department of Energy’s I-75 Green Corridor Project that is creating the longest alternative fuels corridor in the United States – running along all 1,786 miles of Interstate 75. Once completed in 2013, it will be the longest biofuels corridor in the country, traversing six states and cutting through the core of the U.S. from Florida to Michigan. The East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition is the project lead and manager while the Center for Transportation and Environment (CTE) is the project manager for the greater Atlanta portion of the corridor. “We are very excited to be adding Atlanta, one of the largest cities along the I-75 corridor, to the list of locations with a publicly-accessible, retail biodiesel fueling station in the Department of Energy’s I-75 Green Corridor project,” said Jonathan Overly, director of East Tennessee Clean Fuel Coalition. “This new station fills a significant gap in clean-fuels availability along the corridor. Clean Energy Biofuels is also the only biodiesel fueling station in the entire project using locally-sourced waste vegetable oils as the feedstock for the fuel. This station and the team making it a reality are to be commended for their efforts and we are very proud to be partners with them for promoting biofuels in Atlanta and across the U.S.” “We are approaching the biodiesel business differently,” said McKay Johnson, principal of Clean Energy Biofuels. “We produce biodiesel by employing multiple sustainable strategies, which include using recovered waste oil, running our production facilities with solar energy, and staying inside a local footprint. Each of these strategies help make our business sustainable amidst market volatility. More importantly though, we are passionate about what we do and how we do it. That passion has brought us together with our partners who have been integral in our success.” The Clean Energy Biofuels’ Biodiesel Fueling Station is located at 250 Arizona Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 and offers B20 (a 20% blend of biodiesel) and B100 (100% biodiesel). The station is open from 5:00am to dusk. Mastercard, Visa and Discover are accepted. # # # Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization working to promote responsible energy choices that solve global warming problems and ensure clean, safe, healthy communities throughout the Southeast. www.cleanenergy.org