Governor Pawlenty announced today that the State of Minnesota, Metropolitan Council and the Metropolitan Airports Commission are expanding their use of renewable fuels and increasing the number of cleaner, fuel efficient vehicles on the road.

• Metro Transit, an operating division of the Metropolitan Council, will dramatically increase its use of hybrid electric buses, purchasing an additional 150 hybrid buses, as well as doubling the biodiesel content of its fuel supply.
• The Metropolitan Airports Commission has installed a 6,000 gallon E-85 fuel tank at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, becoming the first major U.S. airport to install its own E-85 fueling station.
• Minnesota state government has increased its use of E-85 in state vehicles by 53 percent compared to last year.

“When it comes to use of renewable fuel and alternative energy, state government is leading by example,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Minnesotans lead the nation in per-capita use of renewable fuel and my Administration is committed to continuing efforts to move away from dependence on foreign oil and toward even greater utilization of homegrown, clean, renewable energy.”

Metro Transit to add 150 hybrid electric buses

Over the next five years, Metro Transit will replace 314 buses with 150 next-generation hybrid electric buses that deliver 22 percent better fuel mileage and half the exhaust of existing buses. The other 164 new buses will incorporate the latest engine technology that will burn diesel fuel more efficiently, reduce emissions and improve fuel economy.

“Our environment, Greater Minnesota’s economy and our transit budget all benefit when we use alternatives to regular gasoline and diesel,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Metro Transit’s ‘Go Greener’ initiative is a nation-leading effort to reduce tailpipe emissions and reliance on foreign oil, while also achieving fuel savings.”

Metro Transit also intends to double the biodiesel content of its fuel supply from 5 percent – the standard implemented by Metro Transit on July 1, 2006 – to 10 percent in mid-2007. The State of Minnesota requires a 2 percent bio-additive in diesel fuel sold in the state.

“We have already begun an operational test of 20 percent biodiesel in a portion of our fleet,” said Peter Bell, Metropolitan Council Chair. “This could be a precursor to even higher concentrations of soy esther, further boosting the use of this renewable energy supply.”

Metro Transit consumes and supplies about 10 million gallons of diesel fuel each year. The collective benefit of the “Go Greener” action plan will:

• Reduce emissions by 168 tons each year by replacing these buses with cleaner operating buses.
• Replace 1.23 million gallons a year of non-renewable fossil fuel with sustainable soy-based biodiesel and hybrid technology.
• Result in annual fuel savings of $652,000.

In recent years, Metro Transit:

• Incorporated three hybrid electric test buses into its fleet.
• Became the first transit provider in the state to use ultra low sulfur diesel, the cleanest available.
• Modified bus transmissions for better fuel economy.
• Implemented a strategy to reduce bus engine idling.

Metro Transit customers have used its buses and trains 41 million times through July this year, up 5 percent over the first seven months of 2005.

E-85 for Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport ground fleet

The Metropolitan Airport Commission (MAC) has stocked up on the gasoline alternative E-85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and just 15 percent gasoline. MAC installed an E-85 fuel tank at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, making it the first airport in the U.S. to adopt a biofuel standard for its ground transportation vehicles.

The 6,000 gallon tank will ensure that airport flex-fuel ground transportation vehicles are fueled exclusively with the cleaner burning, homegrown ethanol blend. About 2,000 gallons have been pumped since the tank was installed in June.

MAC purchased its first flex-fuel vehicle for its fleet in 2005 and has added seven more vehicles that run on E-85 this year. Their goal is to add three to five E-85 vehicles annually to replace aging vehicles in its fleet.

“All state agencies are working to increase renewable fuel use and decrease air pollution,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Since many of these vehicles rarely leave the airport grounds, it makes sense to for this tank to be installed at an existing fueling site and loaded with this renewable-based alternative.”

“The installation of the aboveground E85 tank at the airport fueling facility doubles as a ‘billboard’ for the roughly 37 million people who use the airport each year,” said Tim Gerlach of the American Lung Association of Minnesota and a member of the Minnesota E-85 Team. Other E-85 team members include: Minnesota Corn Growers, Minnesota Coalition for Ethanol, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Department of Commerce, AgStar Financial Services, General Motors Corporation, National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition and the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities program.

Since 2003, the E-85 Team has sponsored an interactive E-85 kiosk, located on the “C” Concourse. Each month, a thousand brochures are distributed and nearly 2000 travelers stop to answer its touch screen quiz. A renovated version of the kiosk will be displayed at the new Eco Experience at the 2006 Minnesota State Fair opening August 24th.

State vehicle E-85 use increases

As a result of Governor Pawlenty’s SmartFleet initiative to reduce state government gas consumption, E-85 usage in state vehicles has increased by 53% from last year. In the first six months of 2006, state vehicles have used more than 77,000 gallons of E-85 compared to 41,000 gallons in 2005. There are 1,171 flex fuel vehicles in the state fleet.

Governor Pawlenty signed an executive order to have state government reduce its on-road fleet's use of gasoline 25% by 2010, and 50% by 2015; and petroleum-based diesel fuel 10% by 2010 and 25% by 2015. The action will reduce overall gas consumption by 950,000 gallons.

These reductions in the use of petroleum-based fuels are being achieved through a combination of increased use of agricultural fuels, increased fuel efficiency of the state fleet by purchase of hybrid and more fuel efficient vehicles. When fully implemented, it is estimated that the state will increase the amount of E-85 gasoline used to 1.7 million gallons.

About 60 percent of the vehicles purchased by the Travel Management Division at the Minnesota Department of Administration over the past five years have been flex-fuel vehicles. These vehicles are leased to state agencies, colleges and universities and local units of government.

The SmartFleet group is also working to acquire only flex-fuel vehicles when flex-fuel models are offered by manufacturers. Manufacturers have indicated that they will be offering additional flex-fuel models in the coming years.

Additional Background

• Minnesota is the nation's leader in the use of renewable fuels with highest renewable fuel use per capita in the nation. The state was the first to implement an ethanol standard. Since 1997, Minnesota law has required all gasoline sold within the state to include 10% ethanol (E-10). Last year, Governor Pawlenty proposed and signed legislation that will move the state to a 20% ethanol standard by 2013.
• Minnesota has North America's largest network of E-85 gas stations with approximately 280 stations selling a monthly average of nearly 8,000 gallons of E-85.
• Roughly 140,000 Minnesotans now drive Flexible Fuel Vehicles designed to burn either gasoline or E-85.
• Minnesota is home to 16 ethanol plants that produce more than 400 million gallons of ethanol each year
• Earlier this month, Governor Pawlenty announced that the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) at Minnesota State University, Mankato has agreed to conduct research on E-85 conversion kits. Such kits are currently not certified for use by the Environmental Protection Agency and Governor Pawlenty has encouraged the EPA to allow the kits to be tested and eventually allowed for use in existing vehicles. Discussions with the EPA are ongoing.