SF Mayor Announces Citywide Biodiesel Plan

Last week, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Directive designed to increase the pace of municipal use of biodiesel. He issued a directive that requires virtually all city diesel vehicles to run on B20. The City uses about 8 million gallons of diesel a year.

Among other things, the directive states:

• Central Shops and individual department fleet managers shall identify, and prepare for, vehicle and equipment applications that can most quickly be transitioned to biodiesel.
• All diesel-using departments shall draft a report listing all diesel vehicles and diesel equipment and send it to Department of Environment by July 1, 2006.
• All diesel-using departments shall begin using a B20 biodiesel blend as soon as practicable in all diesel vehicles and other diesel equipment, with the following incremental goals in each department’s use of B20:

1. Initiate and complete biodiesel pilot project by December 31, 2006;
2. 25% by March 31, 2007; and
3. 100% by December 31, 2007.

Since 1999, the City’s Healthy Air and Smog Prevention ordinance has established requirements for City fleets to purchase vehicles using alternative fuels or energy-efficient vehicles with low emissions. San Francisco now has more than 800 alternative fuel vehicles in its fleets.

Several City departments and agencies have successfully used B20, including San Francisco Airport, Department of Public Works, MUNI buses, the San Francisco Zoo and ferries operating out of San Francisco.