Hospital uses soy-based fuel to face energy crisisLONG BEACH, Ca. 6/21/2001Fueled by concern over volatile energy costs androlling blackouts in California, officials from St. Mary Medical Center inLong Beach today announced the hospital has switched to biodiesel to runon-site generators and boilers.Biodiesel is a clean-burning fuel that can be made from any fat or oil,such as soybean oil. It can be used in any diesel engine with few or nomodifications to the engine necessary. Although biodiesel is used mostlyas a motor fuel for trucks and buses, it can be used in boilers andgenerators as well. About 80 major fleets, including transit authorities,school districts, government fleets and national parks use biodiesel. Itperforms comparably to diesel, with similar cetane and BTU content."We are very excited about the advantages this new fuel provides inresponding to our statewide energy crisis," said Tomi Hadfield, Presidentof St. Mary Medical Center. "This is very promising for our colleaguesfacing these same challenges."St. Mary expects a daily cost savings of $350 per day over an averagenatural gas price of $14.28 per decatherm. Moreover, the hospital can stayup and running during blackouts without emitting high levels of pollution."The biodiesel that our company is supplying to the hospital is mixed withan additive that significantly lowers NOx emissions," said Gene Gebolys,president of World Energy (www.worldenergy.net). "The emissions resultshave been certified by the South Coast Air Quality Management District,showing that it meets strict NOx requirements."Biodiesel also significantly reduces particulate matter, carbon monoxide,unburned hydrocarbons and sulfate emissions compared to petroleum diesel.A joint study by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department ofAgriculture shows biodiesel reduces life cycle carbon dioxide by 78percent. It is the only alternative fuel to have passed the rigorousHealth Effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. The results,submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in 2000, show biodieselis non-toxic, biodegradable and reduces air toxics by 90 percent.