The Idaho Mountain and Express Guide today announced that the Blaine County School District has placed a six-month moratorium on a controversial plan to install a 12,000-gallon biodiesel storage tank at the district's bus maintenance facility near Fox Acres Road in east Hailey, Idaho.
The proposal was approved in September, 2009, by the Hailey Planning and Zoning Commission; however, school Superintendent Lonnie Barber stated Wednesday that now the district would like to reexamine the biodiesel storage tank plan.
Barber cited the need for more of a consensus from the community, as there are those who currently oppose the installation of the biodiesel tank. He also cited the need for more research (including, perhaps an environmental impact study) before moving ahead with the proposal. Finally, Barber mentioned that importance of "going green" and lessening one’s carbon footprint on the environment, which was the impetus behind the biodiesel storage tank originally.
The Blaine County school district developed the plan for bulk purchase of B20 biodiesel, a combination of 80 percent regular diesel and 20 percent fuel derived from vegetable oil and animal fats.
Since the passage of 2005’s Energy Policy Act, biodiesel use has been increasing steadily in the United States. This increased usage has brought to light numerous potential environmental benefits, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, pollution and the rate of biodegradation.
This school district is currently fueling its school bus fleet with B20 at the Hailey Chevron station. District officials have said that installing the storage tank at the bus maintenance facility would significantly decrease the frequency of trips buses now make for fueling, as well as reducing the price of the fuel, which is more expensive than regular diesel, particularly with the fluctuating costs of petroleum and the United State’s dependence on foreign supply.