I am a (fill in- student, parent, teacher, citizen,etc) and I am writing to urge Seattle Schools to use biodiesel in the school buses which students ride in every day. Biodiesel is a non-toxic low-polluting fuel for diesel engines that is made from seed crops such as soybeans. Biodiesel can be used at 100% or mixed at any percentage with regular diesel.

The reason I am advocating for the use of biodiesel in our school buses is that diesel exhaust is very poisonous, and several studies have shown that students and drivers inside the bus are being exposed to quite a bit of this toxic exhaust every day as they take the bus to school. Diesel exhaust contains at least 15 chemicals that are known to cause cancer, and one study stated that the exposure students are receiving increases their risk of cancer by up to 46 times the level considered significant under federal law. Diesel exhaust also contains particles of soot that are inhaled deep into the lungs and can trigger asthma. Children are more vulnerable to the health effects of diesel exhaust because their lungs and other organs are still developing and they breathe more air for their size than adults. Children are unfairly exposed to these toxins for an average of an hour a day 180 days a year.

Biodiesel reduces cancer-causing emissions by up to 94%, and reduces the soot which triggers asthma by about 50%. School districts that use biodiesel have reported fewer complaints and absences among students, drivers, and mechanics due to headaches, asthma, and other respiratory illness.

Using biodiesel also tends to reduce global warming, since the fuel is made from plants which take their carbon from the air in the form of carbon dioxide. Biodiesel also contains almost no sulfur (which leads to acid rain) and no aromatic hydrocarbons which cause cancer. The fact that biodiesel is a plant-based fuel means that it is also a renewable resource that will reduce our dependence on petroleum which will eventually run out. I believe that school districts should lead the way in the use of such an earth-friendly sustainable fuel.

Biodiesel is currently being used successfully by many school districts around the country including Northshore and Central Valley in WA state. It can be used immediately in school buses without any modification to the buses. In fact, biodiesel is better for the buses, because it has a lubricating quality that reduces engine wear and produces less of the soot that makes buses dirty. It is currently a little more expensive than regular diesel, but the price of biodiesel is about to be reduced because of a new federal tax incentive.

For the sake of our children and planet, I urge you to take action to implement the use of at least 20% biodiesel in all district buses immediately.
Thank you very much,
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