Seattle City Light Biodiesel: Homegrown.

Seattle City Light

Biodiesel: Homegrown.

“King County Metro Transit is committed to the use of a 20-percent blend of biodiesel to help power its fleet of buses as part of a Seattle City Light greenhouse gas mitigation program. This partnership has established the largest biodiesel-powered bus fleet in the state. The City of Seattle is a national leader in greenhouse gas mitigation and works towards the goal of becoming "greenhouse gas neutral." And Metro is recognized as having one of the cleanest transit fleets in the nation. Most recently, Metro was honored as one of the country's top clean bus leaders by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

Biodiesel is a naturally grown, alternative fuel source. It's a cleaner burning fuel and therefore substantially reduces emissions of pollutants, such as air toxics and hydrocarbons. It also provides significant reductions in greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Because it's homegrown, it reduces our dependence on foreign oil, and it's renewable. And when oil spills do occur, there is very little damage from biodiesel because it is biodegradable. Studies have even shown that it can reduce wear on the life of an automotive engine by up to half.
In addition to cleaner air and reductions in climate-altering greenhouses gases, King County and Seattle City Light are hoping their partnership will deliver added benefits. Demand for biodiesel has been growing rapidly, and now, the industry has reached a point where the in-state commercial-scale production is viable. Farmers and developers throughout the region are actively pursuing their business plans to bring this new clean, renewable industry to Washington state. King County Metro's consumption of biodiesel will help stimulate the production of farm commodities that are used to manufacture biodiesel, creating benefits for both the environment and economy. “

http://www.govlink.org/biodiesel/