O2Diesel Debuts CityHome Help Transit Authorities Lower Diesel Emissions
NEWARK, Del.--March 9, 2005--| Lincoln, Nebraska's StarTran is First to Convert Bus Fleet to O2diesel's Ethanol-Diesel Fuel Technology |
O2Diesel Corporation (AMEX:OTD) tomorrow inaugurates the CityHome(TM) program, a major national clean air initiative designed to improve quality of life in local communities by helping municipal transit systems significantly reduce diesel fuel emissions, and doing so at no additional cost to the transit systems.
StarTran, the municipal transit authority in Lincoln, NE, is the first U.S. city to convert its entire available fleet of 67 transit and paratransit coaches to O2Diesel's ethanol-diesel fuel blend, known as O2Diesel(TM), which reduces black smoke, particulate matter and exhaust gases shown to be unhealthy and damaging to the environment. StarTran converted its bus fleet to O2Diesel after three years of extensive testing and monitoring, and has been operating coaches using O2Diesel exclusively since mid-February.
According to a recent study commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force, a Boston-based non-profit environmental organization, approximately 20,000 Americans die annually as a result of diesel engine-related pollution. Reducing harmful diesel emissions, the report says, can also help reduce serious public health problems such as asthma attacks, respiratory disease, heart attacks and premature death.
"CityHome represents a tremendous leap forward in helping cities tackle the problem of noxious diesel emissions that, until now, were inherent with traditional diesel-fueled bus fleets," said Alan Rae, president and CEO of O2Diesel. "The City of Lincoln, StarTran and CityHome sponsors including the Nebraska Corn Board, the Nebraska Corn Growers, the Nebraska Ethanol Board, Patriot Motorcycles and The Financial Times are to be applauded for their vision and getting involved in such an innovative and beneficial program. CityHome not only enables cities to reduce diesel emissions from their transit buses, but also creates an opportunity for environmentally-conscious corporations to take an active role in helping their communities."
CityHome is the result of an innovative partnership involving municipal transit systems, O2Diesel and corporate sponsors, whose contributions offset the program costs to the transit operators. Sponsors allocate specific marketing budgets to support CityHome through transit advertising. CityHome plans to roll-out its clean air program to other cities in the Midwest, Texas, California and the east coast throughout the coming year.
"Through corporate sponsorships, CityHome makes it possible for smaller urban fleets like StarTran to play a meaningful role in helping improve air quality for Lincoln residents," said Larry Worth, Transit Manager, StarTran. "We see CityHome as a model program that can become a launch pad for large-scale implementations in major cities around the country, where curbing diesel pollution is an even bigger challenge."
More About O2Diesel: The Company and Its Fuel Technology.
O2Diesel Corporation (AMEX:OTD) is a pioneer in the commercial development of a cleaner-burning diesel fuel alternative that provides excellent performance and environmental benefits for centrally fueled fleets and off-road equipment of all kinds. Engineered and designed for universal application, O2Diesel(TM) is an ethanol-diesel blend treated with the company's proprietary soybean oil-derived stabilizing additive that substantially reduces harmful emissions without sacrificing power and performance. Extensive independent and government-recognized laboratory and in-use field tests have demonstrated the effectiveness of O2Diesel(TM) -- the introduction of this cost-effective, cleaner-burning diesel fuel is now underway in the United States and other global markets. For more information please refer to www.o2diesel.com.
