CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- They aren't there yet, but the majority of Kanawha County's governmental agencies could be using biodiesel fuel within the next year or so.

"We're in the process of polling all the agencies that we deal with and seeing what they think about biodiesel," said Denny Dawson, general manager of the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority.

KRT, which runs the county bus system, also supplies bulk fuel for the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority, the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department, the Charleston Sanitary Board and most police and fire departments in the county. Dawson said KRT officials buy about 800,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 500,000 gallons of gasoline a year.

Biodiesel - diesel fuel made from vegetable oils or animal fat - is being touted nationally as a way to help reduce dependence on oil and cut down on global pollution.

"It's very prevalent in Midwestern states right now," said Dean Cordle, executive vice president of AC&S Inc. of Nitro, which supplies biodiesel fuel that goes to county school systems around the state.

"Nationally, it's available in almost all the states."

AC&S currently makes pure biodiesel fuel from soybean oil, but Cordle said the company is looking into other sources to make the fuel. AC&S sells the pure biodiesel to petroleum companies, who blend it with petroleum-based diesel fuel.

When Rudolph Diesel invented the engine that bears his name in 1893, he envisioned machines that would run on pure vegetable oil-based fuel. With modifications, modern diesel engines will run on pure biodiesel, but most manufacturers blend biodiesel with regular diesel fuel in a mixture containing either 5 or 20 percent biodiesel.

In October, KRT officials took bids on regular diesel fuel, gasoline and blended biodiesel. Low bids came back at $1.99 per gallon for gasoline, $2.43 per gallon for diesel fuel and $2.54 per gallon for biodiesel. While close, the prices for diesel fuel and biodiesel weren't close enough for Dawson to commit to buying biodiesel.

"When you use as much diesel fuel as we do, a penny here and a penny there adds up to a lot of money," he said. While school officials get a subsidy to help pay for biodiesel, Dawson said, KRT officials don't.

But Dawson expects biodiesel fuel costs to become competitive enough with regular diesel fuel within the next year or so that KRT officials will be able to start using the fuel for county vehicles.

Cordle said Americans use about 60 billion gallons of diesel fuel a year.

Because of the vast amounts of fuel consumed in the country, biodiesel won't be a cure-all. But, Cordle said, "Biodiesel will be part of the solution toward our drive for energy independence."

Reach Rusty Marks at rustyma...@wvgazette.com or 348-1215.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- They aren't there yet, but the majority of Kanawha County's governmental agencies could be using biodiesel fuel within the next year or so.

"We're in the process of polling all the agencies that we deal with and seeing what they think about biodiesel," said Denny Dawson, general manager of the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority.

KRT, which runs the county bus system, also supplies bulk fuel for the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority, the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department, the Charleston Sanitary Board and most police and fire departments in the county. Dawson said KRT officials buy about 800,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 500,000 gallons of gasoline a year.

Biodiesel - diesel fuel made from vegetable oils or animal fat - is being touted nationally as a way to help reduce dependence on oil and cut down on global pollution.

"It's very prevalent in Midwestern states right now," said Dean Cordle, executive vice president of AC&S Inc. of Nitro, which supplies biodiesel fuel that goes to county school systems around the state.

"Nationally, it's available in almost all the states."

AC&S currently makes pure biodiesel fuel from soybean oil, but Cordle said the company is looking into other sources to make the fuel. AC&S sells the pure biodiesel to petroleum companies, who blend it with petroleum-based diesel fuel.

When Rudolph Diesel invented the engine that bears his name in 1893, he envisioned machines that would run on pure vegetable oil-based fuel. With modifications, modern diesel engines will run on pure biodiesel, but most manufacturers blend biodiesel with regular diesel fuel in a mixture containing either 5 or 20 percent biodiesel.

In October, KRT officials took bids on regular diesel fuel, gasoline and blended biodiesel. Low bids came back at $1.99 per gallon for gasoline, $2.43 per gallon for diesel fuel and $2.54 per gallon for biodiesel. While close, the prices for diesel fuel and biodiesel weren't close enough for Dawson to commit to buying biodiesel.

"When you use as much diesel fuel as we do, a penny here and a penny there adds up to a lot of money," he said. While school officials get a subsidy to help pay for biodiesel, Dawson said, KRT officials don't.

But Dawson expects biodiesel fuel costs to become competitive enough with regular diesel fuel within the next year or so that KRT officials will be able to start using the fuel for county vehicles.

Cordle said Americans use about 60 billion gallons of diesel fuel a year.

Because of the vast amounts of fuel consumed in the country, biodiesel won't be a cure-all. But, Cordle said, "Biodiesel will be part of the solution toward our drive for energy independence."

Reach Rusty Marks at rustyma...@wvgazette.com or 348-1215.