West Point adding green fuel to post
Times Herald- Record
West Point has gotten a little greener.
A new fueling location recently opened on the post offering two alternative fuels: an ethanol blend called E-85, and hydrogen.
It's only for government-owned vehicles operated on the West Point property.
"The Army is trying to become more green and environmentally compliant across the country," said William Barriage, West Point's deputy director of logistics.
This is one of the ways it's doing that.
E-85 is a blend consisting of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
Barriage said there are about 70 hybrid cars at West Point that can use the ethanol blend. There are two Chevrolet sport utility vehicles that use hydrogen, a fuel Barriage said is still in a more experimental stage.
The SUVs need to be refueled every 200 miles or so. Barriage said they're mostly used within the West Point post, so they don't rack up a lot of mileage.
Using the E-85 reduces harmful emissions, Barriage said. Proponents of ethanol say it burns cleaner than gasoline and comes from a renewable source — corn.
Currently, regular gasoline can contain up to 10 percent ethanol, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency is considering raising that level to 15 percent. The agency is trying to determine if enough standard engines can tolerate the higher percentage ethanol blend.
Barriage said based on what he's heard, ethanol fuels might be more of a transitional energy source than a long-range solution to dependence on fossil fuels.
