EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman
recognizes El Milagro's Green Fleet

EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman talks about El Milagro's Green Fleet, while EPA Region 5 Administrator Tom Skinner (left) and El Milagro co-owner Jesse Lopez (right) look on.

EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman recognized El Milagro, one of the Illinois EPA's 5-Star Illinois Green Fleets, at their facility in Chicago on September 30. El Milagro, a small business that manufactures various tortilla products, currently operates 24 of its 32 delivery trucks on propane and has its own propane fuel station. The company is on track to have its entire fleet to run on propane in the near future. This recognition by Administrator Whitman comes at a time when the company is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

One of El Milagro's 24 new propane delivery trucks.

"This Chicago institution is best known for its authentic and delicious tortillas and tortilla chips, but at EPA, we know El Milagro as a true environmental leader. That's good for the environment - reducing air pollution and making it easier to breathe for the millions of children who suffer from asthma and scores of adults who struggle with respiratory ailments" said Administrator Whitman. "El Milagro has seen first hand that sound environmental practices are also sound business practices. Even though your name "El Milagro" means the miracle, it isn't a miracle that you have been so successful, for your success is hard earned and well deserved. These fuel savings, combined with reduced maintenance requirements, makes the costs of retrofitting trucks a sensible investment and the use of clean fuel a wise choice."

Green fuels, such as propane, help reduce harmful emissions from motor vehicles. They can also save a business money. The cost of propane fuel can be anywhere from 60 cents to a dollar less per gallon than gasoline in the Chicago area. The use of propane also helps to reduce maintenance costs.

El Milagro partnered with government and the private sector to reach its goal of having a propane-powered fleet. Their staff attended educational seminars conducted by the Chicago Area Clean Cities (CACC) coalition, Illinois EPA, and the Small Business Assistance Program at the Illinois Department of Commerce & Community Affairs. The company works with Atlas - Mid America Energy, a CACC member, to have its trucks converted to propane and for its refueling infrastructure. El Milagro also took advantage of the Illinois EPA's Alternate Fuels Rebate Program and is the "Small Business Ambassador" for the Illinois Green Fleets Program. Administrator Whitman concluded "in order to achieve our goal of cleaner air, the President and I know that building these types of partnerships is vital to our success. There must be willingness to work across traditional boundaries and a realization that bringing together the expertise and resources of government, business, and communities is the road to lasting change. Only by working together can we ensure a future of cleaner air for this and future generations."

Read the updated fleet profile on El Milagro and learn how they're "going for the green."