Zaremba is doing more than anybody else, and on a national scale, when it comes to offering renewable fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol blends with an increased eye toward environmental sustainability and pollution prevention, said the report.
John Askew, regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said as much Monday as he and other officialsLawrence city commissioners, state representatives, federal administrators and a U.S. congressmanapplauded Zaremba's commitment to "green" operations during an event that was part award ceremony and part environmental revival.
About 200 people crowded onto the site of the station, which opened in February to much fanfare and remains the only one of its kind nationwide, according to the report. Joining the site's information-loaded pump displays, specially designed pumping systems and other features Monday were several alternative-fuel vehicles, including an ethanol-powered Indy race car.
The EPA is working with Zaremba to track both how his energy-efficient systems perform and how his alternative fuel offerings sell. The results will be used to see what works in a market that is thirsting for more options, and potentially give station operators real guidance for how they can respond and succeed, Askew told the newspaper.
"This has national attention," added Askew, who presented Zaremba with a Blue Skyways Award, honoring his leadership in "green" operations.
Zaremba said the new station cost him about 30% more to develop and equip than one of his traditional stations, of which his family has sevenin Lawrence, Olathe, Ottawa and Paola.
Customer response has increased "every day" since opening in February, he told the paper, and he is confident that the "Earth-friendly" operation one day will surpass volume at some of his traditional stations. It's simply a matter of educating the public about the fuels' performance and benefits.
"This is where we're going," he said.
U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., told the Journal-World that while Zaremba's operation might seem small in a world driven by demand for petroleum, that's a sense that shouldn't last for long. "One little place can't make a huge difference," said Moore, who carpooled to Monday's event with Askew from Kansas City, Mo., "but you multiply this by 50,000 around the country and that can start to make a big difference."
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