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By Cliff Hightower
Staff Writer
CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- A Cleveland fuel station will be the first in Southeast Tennessee to receive a Green Island Corridor grant that helps promote alternative fuels, officials said.
Tom Robertson, owner of Fuel & Mart USA No. 4 on Lee Highway, said the store will convert a gasoline tank into one suitable for biodiesel within weeks.
"I would say we'll begin selling it within a couple of months," Mr. Robertson said.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation awarded $12,024 to Fuel & Mart USA No. 4 in November, state officials said.
TDOT officials said the state set aside about $1 million to help establish a network of biodiesel and ethanol stations along Tennessee interstates.
TDOT spokeswoman Julie Oaks said the idea is to have stations no more than 100 miles apart, giving travelers a chance to refuel using alternatives.
She said the state has already approved grants for 64 to 66 pumps and could fund up to 22 more. No more state or federal dollars have been set aside, she said.
"We are hoping to receive additional state dollars," she said.
Mr. Robertson said the station will sell B20, a blend of 80 percent diesel and 20 percent biodiesel. Right now, a gas station in Athens, Tenn., and one in Chattanooga carry B20, according to the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition, a nonprofit group lobbying for alternative fuels.
The closest stations that carry E85, a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, lie in Knoxville and Atlanta, records show.
Jonathan Overly, executive director of the coalition, said the state money helps give consumers choices.
"The more access we have to B20 and E85, the more chance we have to try it," he said.
Alan Wright, vice president of supply and distribution for Knoxville-based Pilot Oil Co., said the private sector will push alternative fuels in the region.
Mr. Wright said Pilot is building a 30,000-gallon ethanol tank at its Chattanooga distribution center and will distribute the fuel locally.
The ethanol will be made at a plant in Loudon County, he said.
Mr. Write said one problem for distributors so far has been cost, especially with biodiesel because of rising soybean prices. Most biodiesel is made from soybean oil, he said.
"It's hard to find biodiesel fuel at a price that makes sense," he said.
Mr. Wright said distributors have tried hard not to pass those costs on at the pump by using different materials, such as animal fat and vegetable oil.
Ross Benton, president of Benton Oil Service, said his company will apply for grants to carry E85 at its stations in Charleston, Tenn., and Chattanooga. The deadline is in February, he said.
"We have to make it available if anyone's going to buy it," he said.
Mr. Benton said he helped Mr. Robertson fill out the paperwork for the Cleveland store. He said he thinks the state liked the site because it won't take much work to convert the tank.
"Any (diesel) vehicle can burn biodiesel, so there's a large market that can be tapped," Mr. Benton said.
Mr. Robertson said the total cost could be around $16,000 to $18,000 to install the biodiesel pump. He said he hopes it will help the environment, along with easing dependence on foreign oil.
The grant helped pave the way for him because of cost, he said.
"Otherwise, it would be hard to do for a small businessman," Mr. Robertson said.
E-mail Cliff Hightower at chightower@timesfreepress.com
ON THE WEB
To learn more about alternative fuels, visit the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition at www.etcfc.org.
