Photo by Matt Stensland

On Friday, Space Station gas station owner Eric Dorris was selling the part-biodiesel fuel B20 for $3.90 a gallon, which Dorris said is similar to what he would be selling regular diesel for.

Steamboat Springs Space Station gas station owner Eric Dorris has began offering a cleaner burning alternative fuel to his diesel customers.

Last month, Dorris switched over his diesel tank to B20 diesel, a fuel that is a blend of 80 percent regular diesel and 20 percent biodiesel, a fuel that can be produced from soybeans, natural oils, animal fats and recycled cooking oil.

I figured, give it a shot and see what happens, said Dorris, adding that people in town with diesel vehicles had been asking him to supply B20.

Diesel has never been a great seller at Space Station, Dorris said, and sales of the B20 are similar to what he was selling with regular diesel.

On Friday, he was selling B20 for $3.90 a gallon, which Dorris said is similar to what he would be selling regular diesel for. According to the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, B20 was a few pennies more expensive per gallon. The average price between March 30 and April 13 was $4.18 for B20 and $4.12 for regular diesel.

It costs about the same, said Dorris, who is using B20 in his own truck. It runs in my truck just fine.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, B20 can be used in many diesel vehicles without any engine modifications. Besides burning cleaner, an added benefit is that the fuel acts like a lubricant and keeps parts from wearing prematurely.

The production of biodiesel hit record levels in 2011, according to the Department of Energy, largely because of government subsidies and the Renewable Fuel Standard, a federal program that requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels.

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Space Station now offering alternative fuel in Steamboat Springs