E-85 Gas Station Opens in Duplin County, 2nd in eastern North Carolina

[excerpted from WITN, reported by April Davis] The 16th ethanol E-85 gas station in the state opened on June 17, 2011, the second to open in eastern North Carolina. At the Magnolia Marketplace in Duplin County, just off of Interstate 40, flex fueled vehicles can now fill up with their intended alternative fuel. The E-85 fuel dispenser is the first one to open that's funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Organizers say it's important for these dispensers to continue to open across the state because ethanol fuel has a large potential to grow the economy of North Carolina.

"There's a lot of potential. There's never going to be potential that we'll produce petroleum in this county but there's great potential that we'll be able to grow the crops that make this fuel and that's what's exciting", said Anne Tazewell, N.C. State University.

The owner of the Magnolia Marketplace says having the dispenser open to the public is a 5-year dream come true.

Ribbon-cutting! Welcoming new E85 station in Magnolia, NC

A ribbon-cutting event for Magnolia Marketplace will take place on June 17 from 10-11. Already in operation, the Marketplace is the first E85 station to open under the Carolina Blue Skies Project. The impetus for the project came from Magnolia native Lounell Mainor, who wanted to contribute to improving air quality in her immediate environment. Ms. Lounell is truly a visionary and pillar of her community. The ribbon-cutting is open to the public, and local and state leaders will be in attendance to celebrate the opening. 1486 S. Kenansville Byp, I-40 exit 373. Refreshments will be served. RSVP and more info: NC Solar Center, 919-515-0352 or alascur@ncsu.edu.

North Carolina Propane Roadshow -

On May 25, 2011 the Raleigh Expo Center was lined with an array of diverse looking vehicles, all with one thing in common - they were all powered at least in part with liquid propane fuel, or "autogas". A muscle car, a utility van, a rough-and-tumble Jeep, a souped up riding lawnmower, and a police cruiser were just a few features of the 5-hour event aimed at sharing information about autogas - its history, present offerings, and future developments waiting in the wings. But as the name suggests, the Roadshow was not just about "telling", it was also about "showing" how propane-fueled vehicles work. Several of the displays were available to test drive, including a few pick-up trucks and lawnmower models. Sadly, the Camaro was not among them, but still, the event met its goals. The Roadshow was hosted by NC Propane Gas Association, Propane Education & Research Council, Triangle Clean Cities Coalition, and Capital Ford. There were vehicles and/or displays from Roush, Bluebird, Clean Fuels USA, Alliance Autogas, the North Carolina Solar Center's Clean Transportation program, Ferrell Gas, Dixie Chopper, Blossman Gas, Capital Ford, and many more.

Announcing......this blog!

Carolina Blue Skies and Green Jobs is a project led by Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG) with $12 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. The initiative will provide for major expansion of alternative fuel vehicles and refueling infrastructure in North and South Carolina through the collaboration of Triangle Clean Cities Coalition, NC Solar Center, Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition, Land-of-Sky Clean Vehicle Coalition, and Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition. Representatives of these organizations will contribute to this blog, posting about news, events, technological developments pertinent to the project mission, and work being accomplished by project partners.

Currently, 24 counties in North Carolina are in non-attainment or maintenance for National Ambient Air Quality Standards, and in South Carolina there will be projects in five of the six counties at risk for non-attainment for ground level ozone. The initiative will benefit both states by lowering harmful emissions while creating local jobs.

Funding for the Carolina Blue Skies Program was provided by: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and U.S. Department of Energy - Clean Cities.