Governor Bredesen Awards Green Island Corridor Grant for Johnson City Station

Nashville, Tenn. – Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that the state will provide a Green Island Corridor Network Grant in the amount of $73,379 to Appalachian Oil Company for E85 and/or B20 infrastructure at the Appco #64 refueling station located at 3100 Browns Mill Road in Johnson City. The funds will be used to install an underground storage tanks and dispensers to sell both an E85 (ethanol) and a B20 (biodiesel) at the fueling station. This grant is one of nine awarded to retail fuel stations across the state totaling $355,792.

“Awarding these grants today places us one step closer to making biofuels more commercially available to all Tennesseans,” said Governor Bredesen. “By establishing this network of retail biofuel stations along our interstates and major highways, we are giving Tennesseans more choices at the pump. Increasing the availability of biofuels will also help reduce vehicle emissions, protect public health and reduce our dependence on petroleum.”

The TDOT grants are funded through $1.5 million in state funds provided by the Governor and approved by the General Assembly in the 2007 state budget. The Green Island grant program will reimburse grantees for 80% of the cost to install biofuels infrastructure up to a maximum of $45,000 per E85 or B20 pump.

“I’m pleased to see the Governor and TDOT providing these funds to establish the first E85 and B20 retail pumps in Johnson City,” said Representative Dale Ford.

The goal of the Green Island Corridor Network grant program is to help locate biofuel stations no more than one hundred miles apart along Tennessee’s interstates and major highways.

“Biofuels can be used in many existing cars and trucks,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “Flex-fuel vehicles are already configured to run on E85 ethanol, and biodiesel in blends up to 20 percent (B20) can be used in most diesel vehicles without engine modifications.”

E85 refers to motor fuel blends of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Ethanol is typically produced from corn and other grain products. B20 is a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel fuel. Biodiesel is made from renewable sources such as soybean oil and other vegetable oils or animal fats.
Currently there are 31 retail biofuels stations in operation in Tennessee. Six stations offer both E85 (ethanol) and B20 (biodiesel), while 22 stations sell B20 only and three stations sell E85 only. A map of existing retail biofuel stations can be found at www.biotenn.org by going to the Find a Pump section.

For more information on Tennessee’s biofuels program or TDOT’s Green Island Corridor Network Grant Program or to find out if your car is a flex-fuel vehicle, please visit: www.biotenn.org.

Senator Rusty Crowe helped secure these grant funds.