By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Good news for school districts across Ohio: The state is ready to dole out an additional $250,000 in grants to fund the use of soy biodiesel in Ohio school buses.

Thanks to the Biodiesel School Bus Grant Program, 21 districts are already powering their buses with soy biodiesel.

“A school district needs to run at least 20 percent biodiesel to qualify and one school district (Marysville Exempted Village Schools) operates with 100 percent biodiesel,” said Tom Fontana, director of New Use Development with the Ohio Soybean Assoc. (OSA). “There’s a simple application involved, with some easy state-required information. Within a few weeks after submitting the paperwork, these districts will know if they qualify.”

This grant program was included in Gov. Ted Strickland’s biennial budget last July as a result of the legislative work of OSA and the Ohio Farm Bureau. The grant program is administered by the Ohio Department of Development and promoted through the Ohio Soybean Council’s Clean Air for Kids program.

Designed as a cost savings for schools, grants will cover any cost difference between all-petroleum diesel and B20 biodiesel (a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum).

“We recently sent out information to superintendents, school board members and transportation supervisors to try and get them to apply for these grants,” Fontana said. “It’s a no-brainer because it’s of no cost to them.

“Sometimes you run into folks who don’t want to try something new or they heard that biodiesel doesn’t work in cold weather. That’s the educational part we have to deal with. There are a few gas-only buses out there, but roughly 95 percent run on diesel.”

According to Fontana, biodiesel usage is a win-win because the use of biodiesel provides cleaner air for the students as they’re transported to and from school each day.

“In the long run this is good for the soybean farmers, just as ethanol was good for the corn growers,” he said.

And, good for the more than 600 school districts in Ohio. “For years, the Ohio soybean industry has worked to grow the state’s soy biodiesel industry,” said John Lumpe, OSA executive director.
Schools that did not take advantage of the first round of funding can still apply. To be considered for grant funding, school administrators should visit www.soybiodiesel.org/kids and download an application form.

Districts are eligible for a maximum of $25,000 and grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis within four weeks of approval.

“It’s great to see schools take advantage of this program that requires no additional costs but provides a tremendous amount of benefits to schoolchildren, and I am hopeful that even more school districts apply during the second round of funding,” says Dan Corcoran, Ohio Soybean Council Chairman and Pike County soybean farmer.