Are school districts doing enough to protect children from hazardous school bus engine fumes? One Chester County school district has taken action to make sure its students are protected from the dangers of diesel – at no cost to the district.

Officials at the Great Valley School District have partnered with The Energy Cooperative of Philadelphia and the Department of Environmental Protection to switch the district’s bus fleet to a blend of B20 biodiesel fuel -- the first Pennsylvania school district to do so.

The National Resources Defense Council says children who take the bus can be exposed to more than four times the amount of toxic diesel exhaust than classmates who arrive in a car. This exposure could result in lung damage, respiratory problems, allergies, exacerbation of asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, and increased risk of lung cancer.

Biodiesel is a cleaner, biodegradable, and nontoxic alternative fuel derived from renewable domestic resources. It can be used as a pure fuel or blended with petroleum such as in the popular B20 blend—20 percent biodiesel with 80 percent petroleum diesel.

By using B20, Great Valley reduces health risks to children by lowering the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nPAH) in emissions, which have been identified as potential cancer causing compounds. Besides reducing the cancer risk, biodiesel also has other important air quality impacts.

Compared to conventional low sulfur diesel, the B20 blend will reduce annual air pollution by approximately 1,919 pounds of carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas), 173 pounds of particulate matter (soot), 227 pounds of hydrocarbons (contributor to smog), 119 pounds of sulfur dioxide (major component of acid rain), and 435,267 pounds of carbon dioxide (a cause of global warming).

Since biodiesel is made in the United States from renewable resources like vegetable oils, it reduces reliance on foreign oil and increases America’s energy security.

Biodiesel can easily be used in any diesel vehicle. Great Valley’s Supervisor of Transportation, Michael Detwiler, Sr., said, “With the expertise of The Energy Cooperative, our team didn’t need to do any prep work or retrofitting to make the transition. The buses ran on diesel one day, and then on biodiesel the next day. By operating our buses on B20, we are able to reduce the pollution that is often emitted from school buses.”

Switching to this premium fuel didn’t cost the school district a penny more. Earlier this year, the district received a $28,340 Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant from the Department of Environmental Protection to offset the fuel’s slightly higher price. The grant is available to any school district, municipality, and nonprofit, and is intended to provide Pennsylvania with cleaner air quality and to reduce dependency on foreign energy sources.

“We applaud Great Valley’s leadership and are proud to have supported their transition to biodiesel,” said Energy Cooperative Director of Operations Nadia Adawi. “We encourage other school districts and municipalities to take advantage of the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant opportunity. As a full-service biodiesel distributor, The Energy Cooperative stands ready to help others make the switch to biodiesel simply and seamlessly - from navigating through grant requirements to technical considerations to delivering the fuel.”

To learn more visit The Energy Cooperative or call 215-413-2122.

11/17/2006