American Lung Association of Minnesota Announces Creation of Clean Air Fuels Education (CAFE) Initiative; Koch Petroleum Group Joins as Charter Member
23 September 1999
American Lung Association of Minnesota Announces Creation of Clean Air Fuels Education (CAFE) Initiative; Koch Petroleum Group Joins as Charter Member
ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 22 -- The American Lung Association of
Minnesota (ALAMN) announced its Clean Air Fuels Education (CAFE) Initiative,
which will fund a broad-based campaign to educate consumers about better clean
air fuel choices. As envisioned, the initiative will include field experts,
corporations, fuel suppliers, government agencies, equipment vendors and fleet
operators who want to promote a common goal of cleaner air via the use of
clean air fuels and vehicles. Koch Petroleum Group has announced that it will
contribute $300,000 dollars to CAFE as its charter member.
Most people do not think twice about air quality when they fuel up their
vehicle. ALAMN, along with its CAFE partners, hopes to change that by making
a clear connection between fuels, tailpipe emissions, air quality and human
health. Ultimately, wider use of clean air fuels will reduce vehicle
emissions and lessen the negative impact on the environment and human health
from harmful emissions. CAFE will test and recognize any Minnesota clean air
fuels that meet or exceed the proposed EPA standards.
The CAFE Initiative will create an education and awareness campaign for
cleaner fuels and new vehicle technologies that are now available to the
general public. In the past decade, the Twin Cities population has grown by
more than 285,000. With this influx of people come more vehicles, more miles
traveled and more tailpipe emissions. Cleaner gasoline and diesel blend fuels
and alternative fuels like E85 (85% ethanol), propane, and natural gas provide
the first steps toward a more fuel-diverse future.
"ALAMN has been a strong advocate for clean air," said Gerald Orr, CEO,
ALAMN. "Studies show that automobiles are a major source of air pollution. We
applaud Koch Petroleum for their support of CAFE and for introducing
Minnesota's first low sulfur regular grade gasoline. Consumers can now make a
choice about clean air at the fuel pump."
Koch Petroleum's new low-sulfur, oxygenated gasoline, "Blue Planet," is a
clean air fuel now available at Twin Cities Holiday Stationstores. ALAMN
officially has recognized Koch's achievement in bringing this product to the
marketplace six years ahead of regulatory mandates. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed an 80 parts per million (ppm) sulfur
maximum standard for gasoline by 2006. Today, U.S. gasoline sulfur content
averages more than 340 ppm. Sulfur in gasoline reduces the performance of an
automobile's catalytic converter, which absorbs pollutants before they are
emitted from the tailpipe. ALAMN has conducted independent laboratory tests
that show Blue Planet scores well within the EPA 2006 standard.
"Koch Petroleum is delighted to be a charter member of the CAFE
Initiative," said Jim Imbler, President of Koch Petroleum Group. "We are
looking forward to promoting clean air choices throughout the Twin Cities."
Koch Petroleum Group provides a majority of the transportation energy and
fuel products used in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is a subsidiary of
Wichita-based Koch Industries. Koch subsidiaries employ more than 16,000
people worldwide and are involved in virtually all phases of the oil and gas
industry, as well as agriculture, chemicals, chemical technology products,
energy services, asphalt products, metals and minerals services, real estate,
and financial investments.
The American Lung Association of Minnesota (ALAMN), serving Minnesotans
since 1903, is one of the oldest non-profit voluntary health organizations in
the nation. ALAMN provides advocacy, research, education, and programs to
promote healthy air, healthy people and healthy lungs. Key areas of focus
include: outdoor and indoor air quality, asthma management, smoking prevention
and cessation, flu and pneumonia immunization, and lung disease management.
For more information please call 651-227-8014 or 800-642-5864 or visit the
ALAMN websites at http://www.alamn.org or http://www.healthhouse.org