Harry Tembenis Letter to the Editor

There is only so much we can write about the airport. As I have said before we will start looking into other matters that concern the city.

Friday, February 16, 2007
City fleet could run on used vegetable oil

Regarding an editorial, “Green light / City’s alternative-energy plan is timely” (Telegram & Gazette, Jan. 31), while the city should be commended for being proactive on the “green front,” there was a key alternative-energy technology missing which could greatly help a current hot-potato (no pun intended) issue affecting the city and the restaurateurs in the city: the mandated, expensive installations in restaurants and other food establishments to keep fats, oils and grease (or FOG) from clogging up the sewer system.

A Massachusetts-based company called GreaseCar has the technology available for engines to run on used vegetable oil. If the city were to convert some or all of its fleet of vehicles then it would have an unlimited supply of fuel from the city’s restaurants and hence would take the burden off of the sewer system.

By this act alone the city sends a loud, clear message to the alternative energy sector that Worcester wants to be a major player in this evolving field and is “open for business” both in utilizing such technologies and welcoming the jobs that will be created by such emerging technologies.

HARRY TEMBENIS