The Foundation of Environmental Improvement

A Nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Organization Collecting Used Edible Oil

June 14, 06 Construction Begins on Washington Biodiesel Plant

Construction began on a biodiesel plant in Washington Tuesday. The primarily farmer-owned plant is expected to produce 30 million gallons of biodiesel a year, as well as employ 30 people. The plant, which will use mostly soybean oil and some animal fat in production could assist in increasing the soybean price by 17 cents a bushel, as well as bring more than a billion dollars to the state of Iowa, according to the Iowa Soybean Association. The plant in Washington marks the 12th biodiesel plant in state, as six are in operation, and another six are under construction. One of which will be coming to Fairfield in the near future at the former Iowa Malleable Iron Company site. PowerSHIFT BioFuels of Iowa will have an annual output of 60 million gallons, making it the largest output of any biodiesel facility in Iowa.

IOWA STATE REPRESENTATIVE John Whitaker joins Democrats announcing a renewable energy plan to expand the use of ethanol and biodiesel, grow Iowa’s economy, invest in research and development, and create a renewable fuel standard. Whitaker says big oil companies make it close to impossible for Iowa gas stations to offer gas with 85 percent ethanol; his plan would prevent them from prohibiting E-85. The plan also offers incentives to expand the use of ethanol and biodiesel, by helping stations put in E-85 pumps, sell both E-85 and biodiesel and provide notices about E-85 to all Iowans who drive flexible fuel vehicles. Whitaker says a critical part of the plan is investing in research and development initiatives for alternative energy and renewable fuels and working on expanding the Iowa Values Fund. Other initiatives include competitive research grants for new renewable energy technology, creation of the Iowa Center for Advanced Renewable Energy Technology and a renewable fuel standard with the goal of 25% renewable fuels sold in Iowa by 2015.

WASHINGTON, IOWA Biodiesel Facility Moves Forward

Things are moving forward for the Washington biodiesel plant, which will soon be under construction. Iowa Renewable Energy, now after one week of fundraising has raised over $19.5 million from investors. The money will be used to build the 30 million gallon-per-year biodiesel production facility. IRE plans to break ground in early June and construction is expected to be complete by June 2007. According to a recent study by the Iowa Soybean Association, soy biodiesel will bring more than $1.3 billion in additional income to the state of Iowa by the year 2010. Soy biodiesel production will also create 15,000 new jobs statewide. John Heisdorffer, IRE board member and ISA district director, says the plant will be a great economic opportunity for Washington, which has lost several large businesses in the last few years. He also says the biodiesel plant will give nearly 30 new jobs to the area.

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PITTSBURGH VOYAGER ANNOUNCE $3 MILLION HYBRID VESSEL

The 'Ultimate' Hybrid Boat (fueled by locally
sourced bio-diesel, a solar array or next generation fuel cells).

Pittsburgh Voyager, the Pittsburgh-based not-for-profit environmental education organization that operates a fleet of floating classrooms on the region's rivers, announced today that construction of a new "green"-engineered flagship vessel is underway, with delivery expected in June 2006. The 90-ft., 150-passenger boat will include a state-of-the-art hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system, one of the first of its kind in the world to be used for a commercial vessel, according to Pittsburgh Voyager. The design incorporates a wide range of green features and embraces the principles of sustainability, explained Pittsburgh Voyager Board Chair, Howard S. "Chip" Berger.

"We are very proud of this new vessel," said Berger at a morning news conference aboard Discovery, another vessel in Pittsburgh Voyager's fleet. "It is the result of a vision put forth by Pittsburgh Voyager and adopted by generous funders, educational and technology organizations in western Pennsylvania and throughout the country," he commented. "There is really nothing else like it in the country—no other passenger vessel combines this particular technology for this purpose. Now, we need to get everyone in western Pennsylvania excited about the fact that it represents an invaluable asset for all of us to learn more about the environment, particularly our rivers and waterways and how to preserve and protect them for future generations," he concluded.

Maxwell King, president of The Heinz Endowments, said the new Pittsburgh Voyager boat is emblematic of the foundation’s efforts to both protect the environment and instill respect for it in young people. "In launching this project, Pittsburgh Voyager is helping us meet several of our goals for quality-of-life improvement in this region. With more than 27,000 watercraft operating on our rivers, this boat, with its hybrid-fuel engines, stands as a model for what can be accomplished in reducing diesel pollution. The teaching program on the relationship of our rivers to the environment will be greatly enhanced. But most important, Voyager will continue to draw young people to our rivers and make them appreciate the tremendous asset they are to the region.”

Pittsburgh Voyager Executive Director Karl Thomas said that, in addition to the Endowments, other major funders for the vessel include: Eden Hall Foundation; Equitable Resources Foundation; The Fisher Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation; The Giant Eagle Foundation; H. J. Heinz Company Foundation; Hillman Foundation; Howard & Nell E. Miller Foundation; The Negley Flinn Charitable Foundation; Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Richard King Mellon Foundation; TRACO; and the Robert and Mary Weisbrod Foundation.

According to officials the vessel was designed using the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) process, the global standard for green buildings – another world wide first that adds to Pittsburgh’s reputation in the growing green building movement.

"This boat accomplishes many purposes," said Thomas. "First and foremost, it will allow us to better serve the tens of thousands of students who will come aboard our fleet to learn about our region’s abundant and critical river resources. We are also using it to demonstrate and teach about sustainable systems and the positive impacts a green-engineered boat can have on the environment. Although there are no industry standards for green boat design," he added, "we investigated more than 110 areas from the LEED™ process for buildings and from the latest in alternative propulsion systems, and the resulting vessel incorporates a number of technologies that are new to the marine industry. The boat itself becomes a teaching tool for all students who come aboard—not just about science and the environment, but also about energy, alternative fuels, green design and sustainability.

"The integrated hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system gives us incredible flexibility to run the boat on different power sources, reduce our dependency on petroleum-based fuels, and even upgrade the system when new technologies are commercially viable–something unheard of in the industry," explained Thomas. "The first moment we first push off from the dock under nearly silent battery power with zero emissions, all the hard work will have been worth it. We are also very excited to use and teach about bio-diesel: a low-polluting fuel that can run in almost any standard diesel engine and which can be made from common cooking oils that you might have used in your frying pan for dinner last night."

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