How do Las Vegas casinos and some of the country’s

largest hotels benefit the Clark County School District?

(This is not a trick question.) These establishments produce

vast quantities of waste grease—about 6 gallons

per resident per year—which is used to make biodiesel

(B20) for the district’s school bus fleet. Of its 1,186 fullsize

school buses, about 1,100 run on B20 (roughly 86

buses in outlying areas still run on diesel because B20 is

not readily available). Haycock Petroleum and Biodiesel

Industries supply B20 to the district.

The district has demonstrated extraordinary leadership

in implementing this alternative fuel in its fleet.

It consumed 1,587,818 gallons of B20 in 2002, and will

consume about 3 million gallons in 2003. The district

converted 1 bus yard at a time to biodiesel, and learned

some important lessons. For example, the tanks need to

be well cleaned before the switch to prevent bacteria,

and the consistency of the fuel should be maintained as

closely as possible.

The school district has a large fleet of diesel maintenance

trucks that now run on B20. The water district

and city fleets are also looking at the school district as

an example, and the Nellis Air Force Base is considering

the possibility of testing B20 in some of its equipment.