Lincoln’s bus system has joined a group that works to reduce air pollution.

StarTran has joined the Blue Skyways Collaborative, which is made up of 184 entities in 10 states.

A representative of the Environmental Protection Agency was in Lincoln on Thursday to applaud StarTran for working to reduce diesel emissions for years.

The city began using alternative fuels in four buses in 1994. Then in 2000, the entire fleet was powered by an ethanol/diesel blend. Now the fleet is powered by biodiesel, which reduces exhaust emissions and lowers diesel use.

EPA Region 7 Administrator John Askew said Lincoln was among the first cities to embrace the idea of alternative fuels.

“We want to celebrate and recognize StarTran for its efforts to reduce air emissions from its equipment,” he said.

More than 341,000 gallons of alternate fuels are used by Lincoln’s 60 StarTran buses.

StarTran director Larry Worth said perhaps some day the city will have hydrogen-powered buses.

The Blue Skyways Collaborative leverages resources and shares professional and technical expertise with public and private entities in a 10-state region. To date, the partnership has implemented about $1.1 billion in projects spanning all 10 states.

Since 2006, Blue Skyways partners have cut pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds by more than 52,000 tons per year; reduced greenhouse gases by 1.6 million tons per year; and saved 76 million gallons of fuel per year.