Phillips Energy, Inc., located on Route 17 at Hayes, is the first private business in Virginia to offer three alternative fuels at once, said Chelsea Jenkins, executive director of Virginia Clean Cities.
Clean Cities, a program of the U.S. Department of Energy, is a partnership of public transportation departments, commercial fleets, car dealers, various governmental agencies and more. The only other fueling station in the state that offers three alternative fuels is a U.S. Navy-operated station in Northern Virginia, Jenkins said.

During a ceremony Friday to introduce the new fueling station to government officials and to the business community, Jenkins told about 75 invited guests and Phillips employees that “there is no silver bullet” to solve this country’s energy problems. It takes commitment, such as that shown by Phillips Energy, for a private business to step up to plan for the future, offering alternative fuels—biodiesel, flex E-85, and propane autogas—while continuing to offer traditional fuels.

After the ceremony, Jenkins said there are about 50 fueling stations throughout Virginia that sell biodiesel and about a half dozen that sell ethanol fuel.

David Tyeryar, Virginia Deputy Secretary of Transportation, praised Phillips officials for having “entrepreneurial spirit” to put up a substantial amount of capital to see the alternative fuels station concept come to fruition. Virginia can benefit from more of these public-private partnerships, he said, especially when a business like Phillips Energy funds much of the project instead of relying on government aid to do the job.
Using more alternative fuels will cut America’s reliance on foreign fuel, Tyeryar said.

Another speaker, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Montross), said that Virginia has developed “a great legacy” with biodiesel, and that other alternative fuels will become more accepted as additional fueling stations pop up throughout the state.

“We need businesses like John’s (Phillips, the company’s president),” he said, to lead the way in more readily available use of alternative fuels. Also, Wittman said America needs “a complete energy policy.”
Phillips, who served as emcee for the program, said that he received much assistance from alternative fuel organizations and from state and local school officials in gaining knowledge about the positive aspects of offering alternative fuels.

Phillips arranged for a number of vehicles powered by alternative fuels to be parked on the lot during the ceremony, with guests invited to ride aboard some of them and inspect others, following the midmorning ceremony. A gala lunch concluded the program.

A public grand-opening ceremony for the fueling station was held Saturday.

The company, which was established in 1946 and now has a branch at Ward’s Corner in Mathews, sells a variety of other products, including diesel fuel, ValvTect marine fuel, Thermoguard heating oil, K-1 kerosene, and liquid propane (LP) gas.