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.

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.