Other Construction Companies Using Biodiesel

• Earthwise Excavation of Snohomish, Washington (Northeast of Seattle) began using biodiesel in its construction fleet in November 2001 and since then has used more than 100,000 gallons of biodiesel. The company uses biodiesel in excavators, dump trucks, loaders, backhoes, bulldozers and diesel pick-ups. For more information visit www.fromthegrounddown.com.



• Turner Construction Company recently turned to cleaner burning biodiesel as a way to help protect the health of their workers at a construction site in Washington state. The company began using about 1,200 gallons a week of biodiesel in about 20-25 pieces of construction equipment including excavators, dump trucks, bulldozers, loaders and forklifts -- at an 80,000 square foot data center being constructed in Quincy, Washington. “The welfare of our workers is a top priority for us and is the primary reason we made the switch to biodiesel fuel in our diesel equipment,” explained Darrin Nelson, Safety Manager for Turner Construction. “Biodiesel has helped us reduce diesel emissions and soot and provide improved environment for our employees and all of the people who enter our job site.” According to the company, they rank first or second in major segments of the construction industry.



• The Tennessee Department of Transportation now fuels at least 250 state vehicles with a biodiesel blend in the Johnson City, Knoxville, Nashville, Chattanooga and Cookeville areas. TDOT is using B20 (20 percent biodiesel) in heavy-duty dump trucks and large pieces of equipment, such as bull dozers and back hoes, loaders, pavers, bobcats, track hoes and water trucks. “It's imperative that government and businesses begin identifying ways to improve air quality,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “Using biodiesel is an effective way TDOT can reduce harmful emissions and protect our environment.”



• The Cherokee Boys Club, in Cherokee, North Carolina (a subsidiary of the Eastern band of Cherokee Indians) is responsible for the school system, social services and enterprise departments. They began running their construction equipment on B20 last fall. In addition, all 28 of their school buses are fueled with a biodiesel blend. “The Cherokee people are very environmentally conscious,” said Frank Cooper, Cherokee Boys Club Finance Manager. “Living at the foot of Great Smokey Mountain National Park, we have seen first-hand the effects of pollution on trees and water, as well on asthma rates. Using biodiesel seemed like a logical step we could take to protect the environment, as well as to decrease dependence on foreign oil.”



• Manatt’s, Inc., a diversified construction company with operations in ready-mix concrete, asphalt paving, and many other services based in Brooklyn, Iowa is running all of its diesel construction equipment on biodiesel blends. The Des Moines Metro Division began fueling its construction equipment with biodiesel blends three years ago and now uses B5-B20 blends in about 100 pieces of diesel equipment. “We are really pleased with the performance of our equipment on biodiesel,” said Curt Manatt, Vice President of Manatt’s, Inc. “We haven’t had any fuel-related problems with our equipment since switching to biodiesel. In fact, at first I didn’t even tell our mechanics that I had switched fuel because I wanted to see if they noticed a difference. They didn’t notice at all.”



• North Bay Construction is a general engineering contractor specializing in grading, paving and underground utility work, based in Petaluma, California. The company began using B20 in about a dozen pieces of diesel equipment, at one of their project sites, in June, 2006. They plan to begin using biodiesel blends in their entire heavy equipment fleet (200 pieces of diesel equipment) later this year. “We feel good about moving to a cleaner fuel that is produced domestically and thus will provide a more secure source of energy,” said North Bay Construction President & Owner, Steve Geney. “We believe our example can be a model for the industry and are very excited about making the full switch to biodiesel in the coming months.”

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