Park City switches to biodiesel fuel

Park City will be saving green by pumping green-conscious fuel into city buses and cars.

The resort town is the first city in Utah to use biodiesel in its public-transit fleet, according to Park City officials. On June 30, the city will begin using the B20 fuel mix, a combination of 20 percent soybean oil and 80 percent petroleum diesel.

"We're aware that as a community, our economy is based 100 percent on the environment and the weather, so anything we can do, in terms of lessening greenhouse gases," is worth the effort, said Park City Mayor Dana Williams. "It fits with the kind of overall view in the city that there are certain things we're trying to do to lessen our dependency on foreign oil."

The biodiesel is biodegradable, reduces noxious emissions and serves as a high-quality lubricant for engines. It's also the first and only alternative fuel to meet requirements of the Clean Air Act. In addition, the B20 biodiesel mix costs approximately 5 cents less per gallon than regular diesel.

Last year, Park City began a test-run on the biodiesel with the Main Street trolley system to observe what the effects would be on maintenance costs, reliability and fuel consumption.

The trial proved that the biodiesel fuel worked and was cost-effective. The city's fleet consumes approximately 215,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year, mostly through the bus system. Using biodiesel will save the city about $11,000 annually.

"It's not perfect yet," said Myles Rademan, the city's public-affairs director. "This is perhaps a baby step in that direction, but we use a lot of fuel."

Part of the city's motive for switching to biodiesel is to be a model for other Utah cities, Rademan added. "We're hoping other people will say: 'Hey, they're doing it up there, why can't we do it down here?' "

Jardine Petroleum offered to set up a permanent biodiesel pump for Park City at the CFN station on 1555 Lower Iron Horse Loop, where the public can also fill up with biodiesel fuel.That helped seal the deal for the city's fuel switch, said transit and fleet manager Eric Nesset.

"When it was kind of a backyard-mix business, it was kind of a spliced mixture and you never knew what percentage was in there," Nesset said. "It's important to me as a fleet manager to get a consistent mix."