Charleston tugs switch to cleaner fuel

Charleston tugs switch to cleaner fuel    The Port of Charleston said a local tugboat operator is switching half its fleet to cleaner-burning fuels.
   The fuel switch was made possible through grant funding awarded by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
   Last week the state, through the federal Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program, awarded grants to nine organizations in the state's public and private sector.
   Moran Charleston will upgrade one tug to ultra-low sulfur diesel three years ahead of federal mandate and another tug to a biodiesel blend. The funding covers the additional cost of buying the cleaner fuel, which ranges from 10 cents to 22 cents per gallon more than regular diesel. Moran will receive grants to cover 75 percent of the cost difference through DERA and will cover the remaining 25 percent.