KCFC's Howell Helps Jacksonville Establish Clean Cities Program

KCFC Ex Director Melissa Howell was a guest at the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization to assist them with efforts in establishing a Clean Cities program in Jacksonville.

Pictured are: Carl David, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Charlie Brown, Ferrellgas, Wanda Forrest, NFTPO, Melissa Howell, and Jay Worley, JEA.

Thomas Built Buses Goes Propane

CleanFUEL USA will partner with Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. to build and certify a multi-purpose 8-liter General Motors propane engine for the Thomas Type C Saf-T-Liner C2.

The new engine will feature CleanFUEL's new 8L liquid propane injection system, which will initially be developed for use in delivery trucks and school buses. Freightliner plans to certify the propane fuel injection system to power the Thomas conventional.

"We've seen an industry-wide shift to becoming more environmentally conscious, and our customers are requesting more options for green-fleet vehicles," said Jonathan Randall, director of sales and marketing for Freightliner, in a recent statement. "We look forward to collaborating on this project and keeping with our legacy of providing innovative technologies that benefit customers and the environment."

According to CleanFUEL, the engine wll be available for 2012 model-year vehicles, which will allow fleet operators to keep up with the stricter emission standards.

“From a fleet standpoint, we see immense potential for this new 8L platform to stimulate additional interest and adoption in the market for propane-powered vehicles," said CleanFUEL President and COO Tucker Perkins.

Kits will also be made available to convert medium-duty gasoline vehicles to run on propane.

Currently, Collins Bus had the only factory-direct, certified propane-powered Type A school buses in use. Blue Bird has a certified, propane-powered Type C Vision at districts nationwide and s in production with its own certified Type A propane Micro Bird that recently passed a crash test, a Blue Bird spokesperson said.

Federal Tax Incentive Update

On December 17, 2010, President Obama signed H.R. 4853, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (Public Law No: 111-312). This Act extends and reinstates several alternative fuel tax credits through December 31, 2011. See the Federal Incentives & Laws Web page for additional information.

Extended tax credits include:
• Qualified Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/law/US/351 
• Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC): http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/law/US/399 
• Small Ethanol Producer Tax Credit: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/law/US/352
• Small Agri-Biodiesel Producer Tax Credit: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/law/US/342

The Act also reinstates several tax credits that expired after December 31, 2009:
• Alternative Fuel Excise Tax Credit: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/law/US/319 
• Alternative Fuel Mixture Excise Tax Credit: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/law/US/417 
• Biodiesel Mixture Excise Tax Credit: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/law/US/395 
• Biodiesel Income Tax Credit: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/law/US/396 

Special Rule for 2010 Excise Tax Credit Claims:
The Alternative Fuel, Alternative Fuel Mixture, and Biodiesel Mixture Excise Tax Credits were reinstated retroactively, meaning taxpayers may submit a one-time claim for qualified fuel sold or used during the 2010 tax year. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued special guidance to allow a 180-day period for the submission of these claims. Please refer to the IRS Notice 2011-10 for additional information (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-11-10.pdf). 

Expired Incentives:
Two vehicle purchase incentives expired after December 31, 2010, and were not extended:
• Qualified Alternative Fuel Motor Vehicle Tax Credit
• Light-Duty Hybrid Electric Vehicle and Advanced Lean Burn Vehicle Tax Credit

The descriptions of these expired tax credits, including the expiration dates, will remain on the Federal Incentives & Laws Web site until the federal tax filing deadline.

Information provided by the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition

E15 Decision Opens Blend to 2 Out of 3 Vehicles; More Work Yet to be Done

On January 21, the  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced E15 blends (15% ethanol/85% gasoline) to be safe for use in all cars and pickups built in 2001 and later. This decisions builds upon an October 2010 EPA decision that limited E15 use to just 2007 and newer vehicles. With 2001 and newer cars and pickups included, EPA has approved the use of E15 for 62% of vehicles on the road today according to car industry data. If E15 were used in all vehicles covered by this decision, the theoretical blend wall for ethanol use would be approximately 17.5 billion gallons.

Read more of the story at http://www.ethanolrfa.org/news/entry/e15-decision-opens-blend-to-2-out-of-3-vehicles-more-work-yet-to-be-done/

KCFC Welcomes Kentucky Propane Gas Association as Newest Member

Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition would like to welcome back the Kentucky Propane Gas Association as a Supporting/Non-Profit Member. “The Kentucky Propane Gas Association provides its membership with legislative, regulatory, and operational support, while fostering fellowship in order to safely expand, enhance, and promote the growth and professionalism of the propane industry.”—Kentucky Propane Gas Association.

For more information about the Kentucky Propane Gas Association visit them online at http://www.kypropane.org/.

Yum! and Thorntons Named Top Places to Work in Louisville

The Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition would like to recognize and congratulate two of our valued members, Yum! Brands Inc. and Thorntons Inc., for being named top places to work in the Louisville area by the Courier Journal on Sunday January 16, 2011. Yum! Brands Inc. placed 3rd in best large company to work for, while Thorntons Inc. placed 6th in the same category.

The survey was conducted by WorkplaceDynamics and reached out to almost 876 local companies with 50 or more employees. Employees were asked to fill out the survey either on paper or online, rating their experiences on a 7-point scale. Companies with a 30% or greater response rate were included in the results and were divided into three size categories—large, mid-sized, and small. Their rankings were then based solely on employee responses.

Yum! Brands Inc. has been a Gold member of the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition since 2009. Yum! Brands Inc. is based in Louisville, Ky., and has more than 36,000 restaurants in over 110 countries. They are ranked #239 on the Fortune 500 list. Yum! Brands Inc. is aggressively working to improve the energy consumption by their companies.

Thorntons Inc. has been a Silver member of the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition since 2008. They are headquartered in Louisville, Ky., and have more than 150 convenience stores in five states.

Congratulations to both members!

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to Receive $8.5 Million Fuel Plaza; To Include CNG Fueling

Airport Plazas, LLC, a specialized developer of retail gas plazas inside airport grounds is pleased to announce that on December 30th it closed on tax free bond financing for its next plaza at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). The deal provides Airport Plazas with a $7,000,000 loan facility through Aviation Capital Partners (AvCap). Airport Plazas will fund $1.5 million from their own funds for a total investment of $8.5 million for the construction of the plaza. The plaza will offer fuel, car wash, light auto repair, a restaurant and a c-store.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is also slated to be installed at the retail site; the airport has released an RFP for CNG-fueled taxi cabs.

The project is expected to break ground in March and open in October.

Read more - http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110105005501/en/Airport-Plazas-Closes-7.0-Million-Funding-Build

KCFC Platinum Member Ranked Among Best Places to Work

The Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition would like to congratulate our valued member, Whayne Supply Company, on being named the 9th best large company to work for in the Louisville area by the Courier Journal on Sunday January 16, 2011. 

The survey was conducted by WorkplaceDynamics and reached out to almost 876 local companies with 50 or more employees.  Employees were asked to fill out the survey either on paper or online, rating their experiences on a 7-point scale.  Companies with a 30% or greater response rate were included in the results and were divided into three size categories--large, mid-sized, and small.  Their rankings were then based solely on employee responses.

Whayne Supply Company has been a Platinum member of the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition since 2009.  They are a supplier for a number of lines of construction, industrial, mining and farm equipment, and have over a dozen branches throughout the Kentuckiana area.  Among their clients is Thomas Built, the primary manufacturer of the diesel hybrid school buses being purchased by school districts throughout Kentucky, courtesy of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Whayne Supply Company is committed to helping their customers find quality products  and providing them with value-added support service in all of the markets they serve.  Congratulations!

Source:http://www.courier-journal.com/section/BUSINESS02/Top-Places-to-Work

KCFC Welcomes New Member - LG&E / KU

LG&E and KU Energy, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a diversified energy services company.

The company owns and operates Louisville Gas and Electric Company, a regulated utility that serves 321,000 natural gas and 397,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties, and Kentucky Utilities Company, a regulated electric utility in Lexington, Ky., that serves 546,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia.

LG&E / KU Web Site - http://www.lge-ku.com/