O'Brien's biodiesel bus to tour SWI

O'Brien's biodiesel bus to tour SWI
Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil - Council Bluffs,IA,USA
... said. O'Brien said the bus has been running on biodiesel for over two years and has been part of her campaign from its beginning. ...

DES MOINES - If you live in Glenwood, Red Oak, Sidney or one of 12 other southwest Iowa towns, you may see a big green bus Tuesday or Wednesday.

Powering that bus will be used cooking oil from Atlantic restaurants.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary of State candidate Denise O'Brien said the 1989 bus is designed to make a point.

"I want people to think about how they can make a difference individually," she said.

O'Brien said her son-in-law, Kevin Harris Mayle, brought the bus into the family when he recently married her daughter, Briana. The oil-based fuel is also his concoction, she said.

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"He gets used cooking oil from Atlantic restaurants and combines it with methanol and potassium," O'Brien said. She said it costs between 50 and 55 cents a gallon to produce the fuel and about 80 cents a gallon after fuel taxes are added.

"My bus shows that there are things that average Iowans can do to be energy independent and save money," she said.

Briana will be traveling with the bus to talk with voters and pass out campaign literature, O'Brien said.

"We have to split up so we can cover the whole state," she said.

O'Brien said the bus has been running on biodiesel for over two years and has been part of her campaign from its beginning. The bus has logged over 5,000 campaign trail miles, visiting over 50 counties and participating in dozens of parades, she said.

On Tuesday the bus will make stops in Red Oak, Glenwood, Sidney, Clarinda, Bedford, Corning and Greenfield. On Wednesday it will stop in Creston, Mount Ayr, Leon, Crydon, Centerville, Albia, Chariton and Osceloa.

O'Brien said Iowa needs to invest in new research to produce energy-related raw materials and keep jobs in the state.

"Renewable energy is coming to Iowa and the rest of the country," she said. "We have to develop our renewable energy sector responsibly and in a way that Iowans can profit from the raw materials that we produce."

O'Brien, who operates an organic farm near Atlantic, said individuals can also make a difference when it comes to extending the availability of fossil fuels.

"The most critical thing is for individuals to take action, such as turning off lights or driving slower," she said. "That will help extend the life of our fossil fuels while we develop alternative energy sources."

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