California has new E85 station open to the public

LOS ANGELES: Today marks another milestone in California's drive
to diversify its energy sources with Brentwood celebrating a new
E85 station funded in part by a $580,000 grant from the Air
Resources Board.

The new station, developed by Santa Barbara's non-profit
Community Environmental Council, is California's second open to
the public and the first of five to be built with the grant
money.

"Ethanol will play a key role in California's clean, renewable
fuels future," said Mary Nichols, Chairman of the Air Resources
Board. "This station will allow the many flexible fuel vehicles
already on the road to take advantage of this renewable fuel."

The $580,000 grant is part of an incentive program created by
Assembly Bill 1811, authored by Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los
Angeles) and passed in 2006. The Alternative Fuels Incentive
Program distributed its $25 million in June, 2007, to encourage
public awareness and adoption of newly available technologies
already reducing pollution and diversifying the state's energy
sources. The program's strategies include:

* Incentives to individuals and fleets promoting alternative
fuel powered vehicles;
* Economic support for the production of alternative fuel in
California;
* Facilitating construction of refueling stations for the
public and private fleets;
* Funding research, development and testing of alternative
fuels and vehicle technology; and,
* Incentives to replace the current state vehicle fleet with
clean, fuel efficient, alternative fuel powered vehicles.

More than 300,000 vehicles already on the road in California are
capable of using E85. These vehicles, known as flexible fuel
vehicles, can use a mixture of up to 85 percent ethanol and 15
percent petroleum. They are not limited to this fuel, as they
can also mix in conventional gasoline with any E85 already in
the tank.

Flexible Fuel Vehicles already on the road include: Ford Taurus
and Explorer; Chrysler Sebring; Dodge Stratus; Mercury
Mountaineer; Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo, Avalanche Suburban
and Tahoe; GMC Yukon; Mercedes Benz C320; and, the Saturn
Relay.

E85 has many benefits compared to petroleum based fuels. It
offers an alternate source of energy which alleviates problems
of scarcity and dependence on foreign trade. It burns cleaner,
resulting in fewer smog forming emissions. And, ethanol is
produced from sources that can be replenished.

Presently, ethanol is primarily made from corn but it can be
produced other ways. One process which has great environmental
promise is cellulosic production. This process derives ethanol
from vegetation waste, such as that from rice farming.
Cellulosic ethanol promises to provide energy with little or no
greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information on the program go to:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/altfuels/incentives/incentives.htm
.

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.