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Going Green is Saving Green

By Alabama Department of Finance

Published: Mon, December 10, 2007 - 8:16 pm

Short URL: http://wkrg.com/a/7946/

MONTGOMERY – Nearly six months have passed since the grand opening of two E85 pumps at the State Motor Pool. Activity at the 12,000 gallon tanks and two pumps has steadily increased, and that activity is saving not only our environment, but our pocketbooks, as well.

“Sales of ethyl alcohol, known as E85 or ethanol, are steadily increasing each week,” said Curtis Hays, manager of the state’s Office of Fleet Management. “Approximately 50% of our fuel sales now consist of the flex-fuel, saving Alabama’s taxpayers an average of forty cents per gallon.”

Since the Governor opened the E85 pumps at the State Motor Pool in June of this year, over 52,000 gallons have been pumped into state vehicles. The cost of ethanol for this period has varied from thirty-one cents less a gallon to fifty-one cents less than the 87 octane gas. Basing savings on the average of forty cents per gallon, the savings to the state since opening the pumps in June is over $21,000. This savings will continue to grow as more and more agencies use E85 for state business.

E85, made from 85% ethanol and 15% petroleum, provide a major cost-saving benefit compared to regular unleaded fuel, it burns cleaner and provides better performance. The utilization of ethanol in the Motor Pool's flex-fuel vehicles is a win-win situation for the State of Alabama.

The Motor Pool at the Office of Fleet Management now has 151 flex-fuel vehicles using ethanol daily. In 1998, a federal directive from the Department of Energy required that 75 percent of new acquisitions by state motor pools be flex-fuel. Alabama is one of only a handful of states to comply with this mandate. In fact, Alabama not only met the requirement, but exceeded it.