Portland, Maine’s Oakhurst Dairy has long pledged to use no artificial growth hormones in its milk. It also buys 80 percent of its milk from Maine dairy farmers (you can see the list on their Web site, www.oakhurstdairy.com), with the rest coming from New Hampshire and Vermont.

Last week, the dairy took another step forward as an industry leader when it announced it will have transitioned 130 delivery trucks, or more than 90 percent of its fleet, to biodiesel fuel by the end of 2006.

The switch will make the Oakhurst fleet the largest private biodiesel fleet in New England, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1,332 tons per year.

“We have been working on decreasing our carbon emissions for several years as part of our commitment to a healthier planet,” said Stan Bennett, president of Oakhurst Dairy, in a press release. “But this is a huge step forward for our organization. We are proud to help make our state a cleaner place to live.”

The change is based on both environmental and financial incentives for the third-generation family owned company.

Oakhurst is participating in Maine’s first-in-the-nation voluntary carbon dioxide emissions reduction program, initiated in 2004. In doing so, they’ve agreed to cut direct emissions by 15 percent and indirect emissions by 5 percent (below year 2000 levels). Biodiesel is an eco-friendly, cleaner-burning fuel, which reduces carbon and sulfur vehicle emissions, and decreases the nation’s reliance on foreign fuel sources.

Oakhurst also cited the 8 cent per gallon reduction in the excise tax for motor fuel that contains at least 2 percent biodiesel, a provision of Governor Baldacci’s energy bill last session, as a reason for the switch to biodiesel.

“Maine is supporting sound environmental policies with good tax policies, and this is helping speed the transition to cleaner renewable fuels,” said Bennett in the press release.“The science behind global warming is irrefutable, and the evidence is mounting weekly that we have already begun to experience climactic changes caused primarily by our burning of fossil fuels,” said Governor John E. Baldacci in the press release. “I am proud of the work we have done as a state to make Maine a leader on climate.”

Maine was among the first states in the nation to use biodiesel to heat state offices and buildings and to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The Maine DOT also plans to begin using biodiesel in the spring in some of its regions.

The B20 biodiesel that Oakhurst will use most of the year will consist of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel, which is a blend that has demonstrated significant environmental benefits with no modifications to a diesel engine. The greenhouse gas emissions to be saved by Oakhurst annually are estimated to be equivalent to avoiding the use of 137,628 gallons of gasoline.

Oakhurst’s goal is to increase the biodiesel ratio in their fuel beyond 20 percent in the future, as long as no engine problems arise.