July 2022, Newsletter
County Fire Department Switches to Renewable Diesel Fuel
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors recently approved an agreement allowing the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District to switch much of its fleet from operating on traditional (i.e., petroleum-based) diesel to using renewable diesel.
The idea for making this switch was first raised by Los Altos Hills resident Anand Ranganathan, a constituent of County Supervisor Joe Simitian’s and member of the Town’s Environmental Initiatives Committee, an advisory group that provides recommendations on environmental initiatives to the City Council.
“Renewable diesel is a better way to go,” said Simitian, whose District Five includes the higher-risk wildland-urban interface (aka the WUI) stretching from Palo Alto in the north to San Jose’s Almaden Valley in the south. “It’s better for the environment, it’s better for our air quality, and it’s better for the health and safety of our firefighters and community.”