Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/59042
70 • APRIL 2012 • WORLD FENCE NEWS Tight And Right! Stretches It PulJak THE FENCEMAN'S FRIEND STRETCHES • LIFTS • ALIGNS • CLAMPS FOR: TIGHT CORNERS, SHORT PULLS, GATES ONLY MODEL A–21 ⁄2 PulJak® $90.50 Designed for those "Impossible" jobs Company LLC P.O. Box 449 • Branford, CT 06405 PHONE: (203) 500-2520 • FAX: (203) 738-1088 E-mail: puljak@comcast.net Visit us on the Web at www.puljakusa.com Subscribe to World Fence News Today! For subscription info, visit our web site at www.worldfencenews.com Click on the "Subscribe Now" button at the bottom of the front page. Or contact us at 800-231-0275 Ask the fuel expert Can you afford a clean air solution? BY JACK LEE, PRESIDENT/CEO, 4REFUEL INC. Times are tough and money is tight. So, like most companies affected by the global economy, survival takes priority over being the next environ- mental hero. How can you invest the time and money necessary to make our planet greener while your company is strug- gling? It's no secret that many "green" initiatives require massive capital ex- penditures and changes in policies by government, but is there a green solu- tion that actually saves you money. In both the U.S. and Canada, the environment has become the number two issue behind getting the economy back on track. In the U.S., 4Refuel Fuel analyst Bob van der Valk believes fossil fuels will continue to be the number one fuel despite President Obama's "Green Plan" to develop new sources of power including flex-fuel powered vehicles. He reports, "In January 2009, the Senate Finance Committee approved $31 billion in tax credits and financial incentives to boost alternative energy supplies and promote conservation. The movement has started, but there are huge obstacles to overcome. Pres- ident Obama, with Congressional ap- proval, will have to increase taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel in order to cre- ate the necessary cash to pay for all the projects he is proposing in order to be- come energy independent." Van der Valk pointed out, "One of the ways to raise financing will be to increase the present Federal Road Ex- cise Tax on gasoline and diesel. The National Surface Transportation Infra- structure Financing Commission has already recommended an increase of 10 cents per-gallon on gasoline and 14 cents per gallon on diesel, as well as indexing the federal excise tax to in- flation. "The panel also backed the adop- tion of a controversial system to begin charging motorists based on how many miles they drive by the year 2020. However, this plan may not be seen through to fruition because Pres- ident Obama has already stated his op- position." Seems complicated doesn't it? And with all this stuff hitting the fan in a bad economy, you get the feeling the environment will get pushed to the back burner. However, while governments fig- ure out what the new policies will be and knowing that it will take years, possibly a decade, before we see re- sults, you can make a difference today. You can adopt a new Clean Air Strategy for free and in fact it can pay you cash back. Your business relies on fuel. In fact it is the number one cost for most companies behind labor. You can't do without it, but you can cut the amount of fuel you con- sume, and when you do you will elim- inate hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic air pollutants. A new Clean Air Strategy starts with assessing your needs. Are you travelling to and from card-locks or a central refuelling station? The extra mileage wastes fuel and causes unnec- essary emissions. Wheel-to-wheel refueling will cut both. When tanker trucks refuel your equipment while idle it improves your productivity too, eliminating on aver- age 20 minutes per fill. Are you managing your fleet ef- fectively? Until you know exactly where each drop of fuel is going you can't make any changes to cut consumption. Telematics and data capture tech- nology is available to measure the key operating information. When you know how much fuel each piece of equipment consumes you have real data you can use to make decisions and changes in your day to day opera- tions. Things like time spent idling are important to monitor because they cause pollution. Another solution is considering the use of biodiesel as part of your fuel mix. Biodiesel is a mix of traditional diesel fuel with renewable vegetable oils and rendered fats. If you start by using a B20 blend, (20% biodiesel) you can expect ap- proximately a 15% reduction in green- house gas emissions. And biodiesel does not require any expensive engine conversion. One more point. You can eliminate wasted fuel and pollutants quickly and without any cost by simply educating your drivers and equipment operators. Once they know the effect they are having on the environment, changes can be made. You can also start a "Green Re- ward" program for the best operator each month. It builds morale, keeps everyone on track and it is free to do. And did I say your new Clean Air Strategy pays you cash back too? Every time you cut wasted fuel it saves you money.