PLEASANTON, Calif. --– Safeway Inc. has converted its entire U.S. truck fleet to cleaner-burning biodiesel fuel. The biodiesel initiative makes Safeway one of the first major retailers in the United States to convert its entire fleet of more than 1,000 trucks to cleaner-burning biodiesel fuel. The decision by Safeway will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 75 million pounds annually, the equivalent of taking nearly 7,500 passenger vehicles off the road each year.

Safeway’s biodiesel program is part of Safeway’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Initiative and the company’s overall effort to manage its carbon footprint, address climate change, and reduce air pollution. The company has been recognized for its dedication to using solar power, wind power, alternative fuels, and construction strategies in conjunction with employee education and consumer outreach to reduce carbon emissions in the communities Safeway serves.

In September 2007, the company was awarded the California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in the area of climate change.

In 2006 Safeway joined the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), a voluntary, legally binding greenhouse gas emissions reduction, registry, and trading program. The CCX membership commits Safeway to reduce its carbon footprint from the base year 2000 by 390,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The company also joined the California Climate Action Registry, California’s only official registry for greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects.

In addition, the company is participating in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transportation Partnership, which commits Safeway to establishing a baseline fuel efficiency of its fleet and implementing a plan to decrease carbon emissions. Those efficiencies, which include purchasing trailers with large capacity, have saved more than 6.5 million gallons of diesel fuel and decreased carbon emissions by 73,000 tons annually. Safeway also is part of the EPA’s Grow & Go Partners, which promotes the benefits of renewable fuels.