USA: Pearson Fuels Green Development Plan Opposed in Southland
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Monday, 08 February 2010 |
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Southland panel rejects us$11m in federal grants to set up 55
alternative fuel service stations throughout Southland. They say
ethanol causes environmental problems.
A regional California panel has turned down nearly $11 million in
federal grants to build 55 ethanol fueling service stations
across Southern California, saying it had policy concerns about ethanol
as an alternative to traditional fuels.
It has been claimed by council members of the Southern California Assn.
of Governments that corn-based ethanol causes more harm than good
for the environment because it has to be transported from farmlands in
the Midwest. However it was also stated by several members that the funds should not be contracted to a single
recipient, San Diego-based Pearson Fuels.
Paul Wuebben, a clean fuels officer for the South Coast Air Quality
Management District, urged the council to accept the dollars. Ethanol
is not perfect, he said, but its wider use would reduce dependence on
fossil fuels and remove pollutants from the air. About 500,000 vehicles in California are equipped to run on the ethanol
blend that would have become more widely available if the alternative
servide stations were built, Wuebben told the panel. He called the
panel's decision a "major lost opportunity for the region."
The infrastructure created by the alternative fuel service stations
could evolve over time to accommodate fuels made from other stocks.
Stations could also be adapted for electric/flexible-fuels hybrid
vehicles that are expected to become more popular on the market,
Wuebben said.
Mike Lewis, manager of Pearson Fuels, said the project is dead without the grants. It would have created 221 jobs, he said.
Mike Lewis, who made an “Alternative Fuels” presentation at the
PetrolWorld Forum in Langakawi, Malaysia last year, said "Dependence on
foreign oil is the result of 1,000 little decisions and a few big
decisions," he said. "This was a big decision."
The $10.9-million project was at first approved by the regional
governments association in November and was set to be administered by
Clean Cities, a government-industry coalition sponsored by the
Department of Energy.
PetrolWorld 060210
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