#### U.S. Military Facilities Increasingly Fill Up With Biodiesel 

#### *Alternative Fuel Helps Strengthen U.S. Energy Security, Protect the Environment* 

## 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- From the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Camp Lejeune,
North Carolina to Everett Naval Station in the Puget Sound area of
Washington, military installations across the country are choosing to
use biodiesel blends in their diesel-powered vehicles. Biodiesel is a
cleaner-burning fuel made from renewable fats or vegetable oils that can
help increase U.S. energy security by reducing dependence on foreign
sources of oil.

Biodiesel can be used as a pure fuel (B100) or can be blended at any
level with petroleum diesel. It can be used in diesel engines with few
or no modifications. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines all use
B20, a mixture of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel, at
different bases and stations throughout the country. Of the four
branches, the U.S. Marine Corps uses B20 at the most locations.

"We use biodiesel to help us meet our federal alternative fuel
requirements, to reduce our petroleum fuel consumption to meet the
Executive Order directing the government to do so, and on a third level
it is just the right thing to do," said Tim Campbell, Headquarters
Marine Corps GME Program Manager. "We've had no reported maintenance
issues. I asked the bases to contact me with their experiences, negative
or positive, with biodiesel. I received only positive feedback."

Most of the military installations using biodiesel obtain it through the
Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), which coordinates the federal
government's fuel purchases. "DESC is the largest single purchaser of
biodiesel in this country," said Pam Serino of DESC. "We\'ve been
procuring B20 for our administrative vehicles for three years. For the
contract period 2003-2004 we have requirements totaling 5.2 million
gallons at numerous military and civilian locations throughout the
country. B20 is the easiest way for the federal government to meet the
requirements of the Energy Policy Act, and we have found B20 to perform
equal to petroleum-based diesel fuel while reducing toxic chemical
emissions that pollute our environment."

Dozens of military installations use biodiesel nationwide, including:

-   **U.S. Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC:** Has used biodiesel for
    about a year in approximately 300 to 400 pieces of equipment \--
    buses, caterpillar tractors, bulldozers, motor graters, etc. They
    currently use about 147,800 gallons of B20 a year.

-   **U.S. Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, AZ.:** Has used B20 since
    January 2002 and are currently using 7,600 gallons a month. They use
    biodiesel in all diesel-powered, government owned, non-tactical
    commercial vehicles such as trucks and forklifts.

-   **Scott Air Force Base, Illinois:** Located about 30 miles east of
    St. Louis, serves as headquarters for 12 Air Mobility Command (AMC)
    bases throughout the nation. Two AMC bases currently use B20: Scott
    AFB has used B20 since April 2001 and uses about 75,000 gallons
    annually. McChord AFB (Tacoma, Washington) has used approximately
    33,000 gallons since October 2002.

-   **Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
    Springs, CO:** Five Air Force Space Command bases use B20: Peterson
    (Colorado Springs, CO); Vandenberg (Lompoc, CA); FE Warren
    (Cheyenne, WY); Malmstrom (Great Falls, MT); Patrick (Cocoa Beach,
    FL). They have been using biodiesel since December 2001. "We have
    taken a leadership position in the Air Force in the alternative fuel
    arena, issuing some type of alternative product at all of our major
    units," said Mr. Chuck McGarvey, Air Force Space Command's fuels
    manager. "We must be responsible stewards of our natural resources,
    leaving behind a clean environment for our children and a nation not
    dependent on foreign oil."

-   **Everett Naval Station, Everett, Washington:** Located in the Puget
    Sound area, this station has used about 50 thousand gallons of B20 a
    year since 2001. The switch to biodiesel was virtually seamless,
    according to transportation director Gary Passmore. "Older equipment
    took a filter change, but newer equipment needed nothing," he said.
    "It went so smooth that no one really noticed."

-   **Fort Leonard Wood Army Base, Missouri:** Began using biodiesel in
    March 2003. The base plans on using about 115,000 gallons of B20
    annually.

-   **U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, GA:** Has used biodiesel
    throughout the base for three years in about 375 non-tactical diesel
    vehicles including tractor trailers, forklifts, three-ton trucks,
    graders, farm tractors and in emergency generators. The base used
    50,000-60,000 gallons of biodiesel last year. "We love biodiesel and
    have experienced no problems whatsoever since switching to the fuel
    three years ago," said Mike Elliott, GME Fleet Manager. "We see
    biodiesel as a way to buy American and strengthen our national
    energy security by reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil."

"The U.S. currently imports approximately 60 percent of its oil \-- of
that, 800,000 barrels of oil a day come from Iraq," added National
Biodiesel Board (NBB) Executive Director Joe Jobe. "We\'re jeopardizing
our own national security by being dependent on foreign sources of oil. 
That\'s why biodiesel and the military are such a natural\
fit. The military is proactively addressing energy security by using
biodiesel and is setting a positive example for the rest of the nation."

Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have completed the rigorous
Health Effects testing required by the Clean Air Act. Results show
biodiesel poses less of a risk to human health than petroleum diesel.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a
comprehensive technical report of biodiesel emissions data that shows
the exhaust emissions of particulate matter from pure biodiesel are
about 47 percent lower than overall particulate matter emissions from
diesel. Breathing particulate has been shown to be a human health
hazard. Biodiesel emissions also reduce by 80 to 90 percent potential
cancer causing compounds called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)
and nitrated PAH. Biodiesel also reduces emissions of total unburned
hydrocarbons, a contributing factor to smog and ozone, by about 68
percent. Carbon monoxide is reduced by about 48 percent.

Biodiesel can be made from any fat or vegetable oil, such as soybean
oil. Soybean checkoff dollars, through the United Soybean Board and
state soybean board checkoff programs, have played a significant role in
developing the U.S. biodiesel industry. Biodiesel has similar
horsepower, torque and BTU content compared to petroleum diesel. It
offers excellent lubricity and higher cetane than diesel fuel. Biodiesel
is registered with the EPA as a fuel and fuel additive. About 300 major
fleets currently use biodiesel nationwide.

*Readers can learn more about biodiesel by visiting
[http://www.biodiesel.org](http://www.biodiesel.org/).*

##### Contact: Jenna Higgins/NBB

1-800-841-5849