IRFA urges US EPA to include biodiesel in Clean School Bus Program

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) submitted comments  April 2 in response to U.S. EPA’s request for information on the Clean School Bus Program.

The EPA sought feedback on a broad range of fuel options that school buses could use to reduce emissions—including biofuels, natural gas and hydrogen—in its revamping of the program. 

In its comments, IRFA strongly recommended allocating substantial resources towards biodiesel infrastructure to enable the use of B20 (20 percent biodiesel, 80 percent petroleum diesel) or higher blends, engine-modification technologies for buses to use blends as high as B100, and incentivizing the purchase of biodiesel to allow school districts to try it in their fleets. 

Key points from IRFA’s comments include: 

Biodiesel is a drop-in solution that works today 

“Unlike electric buses, which require significant capital investment both in terms of new vehicles and charging infrastructure, biodiesel blends of up to B20 can be used in every diesel school bus operating in America today. These fuels require no engine modifications, no new vehicles and no specialized training. IRFA recommends allocating CSB Program funding toward biodiesel fueling infrastructure, including onsite storage tanks for school districts. While B20 is a drop-in fuel option, providing support for the initial capital investments required to install biodiesel-specific infrastructure, school districts will be more likely to try B20 or even higher blends.” 

Cold-weather concerns 

“This modification technology [referring to products such as the Optimus Ecosystem, technology that upgrades heavy-duty diesel engines to run on 100 percent biodiesel] is currently enabling the use of year-round B100 in some of the United States’ coldest cities. Ames, Iowa; Madison, Wisconsin; and Washington, D.C., have all adopted these engine-modification systems for their heavy-duty public works vehicles, including snowplows, demonstrating that concerns about biodiesel in cold weather can be addressed with affordable solutions.” 

Emissions, health improvements 

“Studies have consistently shown that biodiesel is a simple and effective way to reduce tailpipe emissions from heavy-duty engines. Compared to replacing an entire bus, as would be required under a transition to electric school buses, the emissions reduction per taxpayer dollar is much higher by simply dropping B20 into existing buses, or potentially making the relatively small investments required to adopt B100 modification technology. If the goal is to protect as many children as possible from potentially harmful tailpipe emissions, while working within the funding currently available, biodiesel is a far more effective option.” 

Biodiesel ‘buy-down’ incentives 

IRFA participated in a study with Humboldt Community School District in Iowa to evaluate the benefits of switching its fleet from conventional diesel to B11. The study found a 3.4 percent increase in fuel economy, an 11.2 percent decrease in fuel burned for diesel-particulate filter (DPF) regeneration, and consistent results when more buses in the fleet were switched to biodiesel. These results were discussed in the comments. 

In addition, IRFA said the following about incentivizing studies with school districts:  

“IRFA recommends that EPA allocate CSB grant funds toward helping ‘buy down’ higher biodiesel blends for participating school districts. They may be interested and willing to make the switch to blends such as B20, but making any kind of change can be a risky decision, especially for districts with limited budgets. As demonstrated by the Humboldt pilot study, school districts that are incentivized to compare biodiesel blends with conventional diesel will see benefits, making continued adoption more likely.” 

In conclusion, IRFA stated, “Biodiesel is a clean-burning solution that can reduce emissions exposure for children, improve fuel economy and reduce maintenance needs across existing school bus fleets.”  

To read IRFA’s full comments, click here.