**Forget the "Chicken and Egg."**

**If You Want E-85, Just Ask For It.**

Have you heard the one about the chicken and the egg? Which came first,
the chicken or the egg? In the world of alternative fuel vehicles
(AFVs), we frequently ask that question: Which comes first, the AFVs or
the fuel? With flex-fuel vehicles and ethanol (E-85), which comes first
isn't important.

The question isn't important because flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) are here,
everywhere, thousands of them. And tens of thousands of ordinary drivers
own FFVs, although very few are aware that they drive a clean-burning
alternative fuel vehicle.

Many of you, also, drive government-owned FFVs. The difference between
you driving your agency's FFV and the general public is that you
probably know about E-85; you probably know about the Energy Policy Act
and Executive Order 13149. You may even be aware of the directive that
by 2005 federal agencies must displace 85 percent of their petroleum
fuels.

But where's this alternative fuel?

That was our problem in Utah. Very little corn is grown here, so there
were no corn growers pushing ethanol. There were no ethanol producers
looking for markets. Operators of traditional "gasoline stations" were
polite but not interested in E-85. In the past, E-85 had few friends in
Utah.

But you don't need too many friends as long as you have the "right"
kind. Three years ago the right kind in Utah worked for the federal
government: Hill Air Force Base (Base), the United States Postal Service
(USPS), and Utah Army National Guard. And THEY had a friend; Salt Lake
Clean Cities.

Kathy Hamby former fleet manager, Hill Air Force Base, who already had
compressed natural gas and propane-fueled vehicles included in her
fleet. The Base also operated FFVs but only on gasoline because ethanol
wasn't available and Kathy had no money to build a refueling site on
Base. So she went off base, found John Petroff who owned JP Texaco and
convinced him to convert an underground tank to store and dispense E-85
to both the Air Force and the general public.

Ric Wilkins, USPS, Utah fleet manager, with nearly 400 FFV delivery
vehicles ... and NO E-85s. Todd Christensen, like John Petroff, owned
his own business and had an under-utilized tank that could be converted
to hold ethanol. Both businessmen saw the value of adding another
product to sell, and both Hamby and Wilkins said they would send their
drivers and vehicles to buy E-85.

Finally, Elgin Williams was still applying for business licenses for his
new Chevron station and convenience store when Sgt. Bill Ross, Utah Army
National Guard, saw the license application and phoned him. At their
first meeting, which included Beverly Miller, Director, Salt Lake Clean
Cities, it was agreed that the Chevron station would be designed to
include E-85; Clean Cities would provide a "forgivable-loan" to help
cover expenses; the Utah Energy Office would approve a low-interest loan
to also help cover expenses; and Sgt. Ross would send his Army
recruiters to refuel on E-85.

Today there are four ethanol (E-85) refueling stations in Utah and
federal agency fleet managers can be thanked for three of them.

Businesses that sell fuel want to make money. They need customers.
Federal fleet managers have alternative fuel mandates to meet, and
vehicles to operate. They can "deliver customers." Business owners will
listen and react to that.

What about that fourth E-85 site? Who caused that station to happen?
Edward G. Benson, Superintendent of Fleet Maintenance, on the Redwood
Road campus of Salt Lake Community College, Utah, believed the College
should do "its fair share" to meet federal mandates for AFVs. He and the
administration made the decision to also retrofit an under-utilized,
underground tank. On April 25, the day of the grand opening, the rest of
us just showed up and cheered.

Contact: Beverly Miller, Director

Salt Lake Clean Cities

801-535-7736