CROTON – The Village of Croton-on-Hudson is going to transition its entire fleet of municipal diesel vehicles to renewable diesel.
The decision follows the successful conclusion of a three-month pilot program that demonstrated the fuel’s compatibility with municipal vehicles and its environmental benefits.
Village officials said the cost of the transition will be covered by the village’s sustainability fund with no taxpayer contribution.
All of the village’s diesel-powered heavy-duty vehicles like garbage trucks and snowplows now run on renewable diesel, a fuel that is made from fats and oils like soybean or canola oil. Those byproducts are processed to be chemically identical to petroleum diesel.
The municipality’s sustainability committee calculated that switching the entire fleet to renewable diesel will result in an annual reduction of some 186 metric tons of CO2 per year. The single change accounts for some 12.5 percent of the village’s total municipal carbon footprint, and based on the pilot results. The transition is also expected to further reduce nitrogen oxides, which contribute to respiratory issues and smog.
The use of the new fuel will cost Croton-on-Hudson approximately $28,000 per year, funded by the revenue of the community solar array on top of the DPW building.
“We are in a climate emergency and we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without delay,” said Mayor Brian Pugh. “Our pilot delivered significant, measurable results for our community. While we transition to an electric fleet, we must explore the cleanest fuel sources possible. Renewable diesel allows us to take immediate action to improve air quality and slash greenhouse gas pollution.”
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