Rep. Fossella Encourages McDonald's to Convert Delivery Fleet in NYC to Biodiesel

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Rep. Fossella Encourages McDonald's to Convert Delivery Fleet in NYC to Biodiesel

A Big Mac and an order of fries could do more than just satisfy your appetite - it could one day soon power McDonald's fleet of delivery trucks in New York City.

Congressman Vito Fossella (R-NY13) has proposed the innovative, environmentally-friendly suggestion to the McDonald's Corporation after the Golden Arches announced last week that it would convert its entire British fleet of delivery trucks to biodiesel produced from grease from its own restaurants. Fossella encouraged the company to bring this model initiative to the Big Apple as a pilot project in a letter today to McDonald's President and Chief Operating Officer Ralph Alvarez.

"I believe that establishing a pilot project in the greatest city in the world would send a strong message to corporate America and beyond that biodiesel represents a viable alternative to petroleum products," Fossella said. "New York has thousands of restaurants that, if they had the opportunity to participate in a grease collection program, could likely produce an abundance of biodiesel, which could help make producing and buying the fuel more cost-effective. I can't think of a better partnership than New York City and McDonald's serving as trailblazers in the movement to implement environmentally-friendly policies that reduce our nation's reliance on foreign oil and protect our environment."

Fossella noted that biodiesel is already being used with much success in New York, including by the City Parks Department, which has converted its entire fleet of 650 diesel-operated vehicles and equipment to run on the alternative fuel.

McDonald's announced last week that it had converted 45 of its 155 delivery trucks in England to biodiesel and would extend the program to its entire fleet within 12 months. The company plans to use recycled cooking oil from 1,200 of its restaurants to fuel its trucks. When fully implemented, the program will save roughly 1,700 tons of carbon annually, or the equivalent of removing 2,400 cars from the road each year.

In April, Fossella announced that he was cosponsoring legislation to double the tax credit for making biodiesel fuel from recycled restaurant grease from $.50/gallon to $1.00/gallon. The legislation would make the restaurant grease tax credit equal to an existing tax credit for producing biodiesel from virgin agricultural products like soybean. The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Burgess and is currently before the House Ways and Means Committee.

"Biodiesel represents a clean, affordable, environmentally-friendly and domestically-produced alternative to foreign petroleum," Fossella said. "The use of biodiesel significantly reduces emissions of harmful pollutants that cause global warming, acid rain, smog and ozone. Simply, this premium diesel protects our health, economy and security."

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