
We had a good time looking at the propane fuel vehicle exhibit including the Blue Bird “Vision” propane powered school bus, a Roush F-150 Pickup truck, a General Motors 8.1 liter engine medium-duty platform, two propane lawnmowers, and the after-market conversion of a police cruiser. Thank you to all of the vehicle providers who traveled great distances to join us!
Presentations:
Overview of SC Energy Consumption - Dr. John Clark, SC Energy
Office
Clean Cities
Accomplishments - Erika H. Myers, Palmetto State clean Fuels
Coalition
Environmental benefits of propane - Myra Reece, Bureau Chief -
Bureau of Air Quality, SC DHEC
Propane in South Carolina - Corky Clark, SC Propane Gas
Association
Propane Overview - Ed White, Alternative Fuels Solutions, LLC
Blue-Bird Propane Bus - Rusty Mitchell
Roush
Propane Vehicles - Roger Moore
Prins Propane Systems
- Jeff Murrell
EnviroGuard Lawnmowers - Jim Coker
South Carolina is at the forefront of publicly accessible alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Currently, a total of 94 retail locations offer either E85 and/or biodiesel. A total of 68 public stations in South Carolina offer E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) and 53 public stations offer at least B5 (5% biodiesel, 95% diesel) up to B99. All state-owned diesel pumps are required to carry a minimum of B5.
List of E85 & Biodiesel Stations in South Carolina
E85 Station Locations in South Carolina
Biodiesel Station Locations in South Carolina
The Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition (PSCFC) is part of the Clean Cities program and is one of 88 designated coalitions in the United States. The Department of Energy approved the application for PSCFC's designation in 2003, recognizing the commitment of our stakeholders to building an alternative fuels market in South Carolina.
This partnership must implement all the objectives outlined in the Program Plan. Although this will be hard work, all the stakeholders in the PSCFC have already demonstrated their level of commitment to alternative fuels.
Clean Cities is a locally based, voluntary public/private partnership coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that expands the use of alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuel. Legal alternatives under EPAct92 include CNG, ethanol, methanol, electricity, and liquefied petroleum gas (propane).
The U.S. Department of Energy developed this program in order to promote energy use in the transportation sector that is clean, safe, less dependent upon foreign sources, and sustainable. Clean Cities builds on local initiative and partnerships and nationwide networks to achieve its goals. By combining local decision-making with voluntary action by partners, this grassroots community action is a departure from the usual top-down approach of federal programs. These coalitions create effective programs that will combine for a sustainable nationwide alternative fuels market.
Erika H. Myers
Clean Cities Co-Coordinator
emyers@energy.sc.gov
Amy Lawrence
Clean Cities Co-Coordinator
alawrence@energy.sc.gov
South Carolina Energy Office
1200 Senate Street
408 Wade Hampton Building
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 737-8030 (office)
(803) 737-9846 (fax)
Application to apply for grants with Palmetto State Clean Fuels
Coalition
Due to the overwhelming number of inquiries, we will do our best to
accommodate requests to partner on projects via a
Project Submittal Form.
FY09 Clean Cities solicitation
The Economic Stimulus Funds have added an additional $300
million to the FY09 Clean Cities Solicitation through a new Area of
Interest #4 (Alternative Fuel and Advanced Technology Vehicle Pilot
Program) which incorporates the requirements of Section 721 of EPAct
2005.
PSCFC is no longer taking projects for Round 1, which was due on May 29, 2009 but will continue to take projects for Round 2 will be due on September 30, 2009. The awards will have a 50/50 cost share and the funding amount per project will be from $5 million to $15 million. Solicitation.
Incentives to utilize advanced vehicle technologies
Federal Incentives
State Incentives
Update on 2006 - 2008 Alternative Fuels Grants
This past year the PSCFC continued work on three grant projects. In 2007 the PSCFC was awarded a $10,000 grant from the National Biodiesel Board Foundation to host a SC Biodiesel Fuel Quality Symposium to educate state biodiesel fuel producers and other interested parties about the importance of fuel quality. Over 120 attendees participated in the conference, which was held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on September 19, 2007.
The PSCFC also continues the work of a grant awarded in 2006 through the US Department of Energy. The Southeast Ethanol and Biodiesel Infrastructure Corridor Project was a grant for South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia Clean Cities Coalitions to install E85 and B20 fueling pumps near interstate highways. The grant allotted funds for seven E85 pumps and one B20 pump in South Carolina. So far all of the pumps have been installed and there is a possibility of additional pumps.
The PSCFC is finishing work on a $25,000 grant awarded in 2006 from Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funding through the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to develop and implement a two year idle reduction education and awareness program at schools within the non-attainment boundary of York County. The Program was developed and conducted in partnership with the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control-Bureau of Air Quality, the SCEO, the SC Department of Education, and the Museum of York County. The project intended to reduce air emissions by encouraging schools, parents, and the community to stop unnecessary vehicle idling.
Other grants where the PSCFC was a stakeholder were completed in 2008 by funds awarded in 2006 by USDOE Special Projects Grants. These included:
The PSCFC boasts an active group of stakeholders who make our continued success possible. If you would like to become a stakeholder, you will need to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the PSCFC to voluntarily support our activities. Our current stakeholders include, but are not limited to the: