By Beth Shively

     Even as Indiana's millionth gallon of soy biodiesel was pumped at a Jolietville co-op, a pair of Hamilton County school corporations were weighing the benefits of using the substance to fuel their school buses.
     A soy biodiesel blend, B20, is already used to power buses in some districts around the county. Hamilton Southeastern schools has used the mixture in its 160-bus fleet since December and the 22 buses of Marion-Adams schools have run on the fuel for two years.
     Westfield-Washington schools plan to start using the fuel in July. Hamilton Heights and Noblesville schools are both looking into the possibility. Whether they begin using the fuel, which has been lauded for its environmental and health benefits, is simply a matter of cost, transportation officials say.
     "The only prohibitive part has been the cost differential," said Tony Cook, assistant superintendent of Hamilton Heights schools.
     Cook made a presentation about the soy biodiesel to the district's board at its meeting Monday. He said the idea was well-received, especially since that compmunity is an agricultural one, and the use of soy products could help boost the state's farm economy.
     "It's a good idea to look at alternative fuels and support our farm community," Cook said.
     But with cuts last year to school transportation funds, spending the extra money for a cleaner, healthier fuel would take some creative financing, he said. School officials report a 2-cent to 5.5-cent difference in the price between regular diesel and the soy blend. Cook estimated that using a fuel such as B20 would cost the corporation $5,000 more the last year.
     "If we can trim that or save money somewhere else, we may come back and look at an experiment, if not a total switch over," he said.
     Government incentives and private grants have helped defray the cost of the alternative fuel in many cases, but transportation directors continue to hop the price of soy will drop enough to make the blend a realistic, permanent alternative.

     "We're hoping soy prices go down," said Jim White, transportation director at Hamilton Southeastern, where the use of soy diesel has been funded by a grant.
     Soy prices, he said, have been pleased with the performance of the fuel and hasn't observed a change in the mileage that buses get.
     This is the kind of news Jim White, transportation director at Noblesville, is looking for. White said he is researching the fuel, but hasn't made the decision to switch.
     Those who have decided to switch to B20 say they have done so mainly for health and environmental reasons.
     "The number one factor would be the health and safety of the students," said Jack Hart, transportation director at Westfield. "Research has shown that exhaust from regular diesel does have an effect in the long term, and drivers are around it even more than students. Biodeisel fuel burns much cleaner, and we want to do our share in reducing emissions."
     And though many schools in the area are voluntarily switching to biodiesel, federal mandates may soon require that all buses run on cleaner fuel. The EPA had passed diesel guidelines in an effort to reduce the substance's sulfur content by 2007. Soy biodeisel contains an acceptable amount of sulfur under the new guidelines.
     But despite the slightly higher cost, area school transportation officials say they would like to see the alternative fuel in place as soon as possible, regardless of federal requirements.
     "We're just trying to get ahead of the curve, because it's a good thing to do," Cook said. "It may be worth the expense if it betters the health of our kids and drivers."

 Courtesy of Fishers Weekly, Saturday, May 21, 2005

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