State House plans to heat with earth-friendly fuel

AUGUSTA – The smoke coming out of the State House chimneys this winter may smell like french fries.

The domed structure, along with the Cross State Office Building and State Museum in Maine’s Capitol Complex, will join those already heated with a biodiesel blend of heating fuel.

The environmentally friendly fuel has been heating the Blaine House, State Planning Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles since last fall, the Baldacci administration said.

Gov. John Baldacci called the increased use of biodiesel to the Capitol Complex and other buildings “a win for energy independence and a win for the environment.” An administration aide said Friday that Baldacci wants to stimulate a Maine-based industry to produce biodiesel.

“The state has responsibility to lead by example,” said senior policy aide Richard Davies. He noted that Baldacci earlier this year issued an executive order calling for more efforts to reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels, such as using hybrid cars in the state fleet as much as possible.

The most prominent organic fuel used in biodiesel is vegetable oil from restaurant fryers, which is filtered and added to diesel fuel. Vehicles powered by such fuel produce exhaust that smells like french fries. Biodiesel additives also come from some crops and animal fat.

The administration is exploring the viability of putting a vegetable oil reprocessing facility in Maine, where restaurants produce more than 1 million gallons of waste vegetable oil per year, said Beth Nagusky, director of the state Office of Energy Independence and Security.

Last winter, the state used a blend of 20 percent biodiesel with petroleum diesel for the heating fuel used in the governor’s mansion and other buildings. This winter, it’s shifting from the so-called B20 to a 10 percent blend.

Even though the mix is lighter, the actual volume of biological material in the fuel will increase by more than six times, officials said.

Biodiesel prices are higher than prices for conventional fuels. But Jean Arbour, the state’s procurement manager, said the price differential between petro-fuel and biodiesel has come down, allowing the state to increase its biodiesel purchase within budgetary constraints.

On the Net: Maine Energy: www.maineenergyinfo.com.