Biodiesel News Round-Up

Continuing from yesterdays rant about how we should all be driving biodiesel engine automobiles while leaving bags of poop on the steps of Exxon-Mobile's corporate headquarters, here's a few articles on biodiesel in the news recently:

First-in-nation biodiesel fuel mandate set for road test

"Soybean farmers are celebrating but truckers are bracing for increased costs as the nation's first state mandate to blend agricultural products into diesel fuel takes effect today in Minnesota.

Under legislation enacted in 2002 but kept in limbo while production capacity ramped up, much of the diesel fuel sold in Minnesota now must contain 2 percent "biodiesel" -- a methyl ester usually made from soybeans.

But practically any vegetable oil or animal fat can go into the latest alternative fuel, which has hit the Minnesota mass market with the help of government subsidies and mandates.

Ralph Groschen, senior marketing specialist for the state Department of Agriculture, said that no matter the raw material, biodiesel is a wonderful fuel that packs the same power as No. 1 diesel oil and burns lots cleaner.

"It's really slippery stuff, good for engines," he said Wednesday. "The fact is you could put 100 percent biodiesel in an engine, and it would just run."

Gov. Tim Pawlenty will kick off biodiesel's official debut with visits to farmer-owned processing plants today at Glenville and Brewster in southern Minnesota. A third plant is in Redwood Falls, giving the state a total of 63 million gallons of annual biodiesel production capacity, more than enough to pump out the 16 million gallons that will be needed for blending in Minnesota's yearly consumption of 800 million gallons of diesel.

More than 3,000 Minnesota farmers, many already cashing in on plants that distill corn to meet the state's long-standing mandate of 10 percent ethanol in gasoline, have invested millions of dollars in the biodiesel plants. The new business is growing rapidly, thanks to increased petroleum prices, state and federal subsidies and, now, the Minnesota mandate.

Groschen said bulk biodiesel costs less than regular diesel, a contention that was disputed by Bruce Goodrich, chairman of the Minnesota Trucking Association. He said the mandated biodiesel blend has been running 2½ to 3 cents more per gallon than plain diesel at the 200 Minnesota stations already carrying it.

"It's going to cost me $5 more a day to run a truck," said Goodrich, who operates R&E Enterprises in Mankato. "But we're looking for good things from biodiesel. We don't have good answers about it now. We have concerns." " (Read More)

On the one hand, this is great news for those of us pushing to see a total replacement of petroleum fueled cars with biodiesel fueled ones. On the other hand, as Rob Wreck, one of my most frequent commenters and good friend of mine pointed out and as Bruce Goodrich states in the article, right now it may be more expensive, at least in the short run to fully convert to biodiesel. However, any new product that is introduced into the American marketplace starts off as very expensive until demand plus supply rise congruently thus lowering the overall cost of the product. In other words, once more folks start buying the stuff and there's plenty of biodiesel refueling stations available to the driving public, the costs will go down. I always refer to the DVD model when talking about the long term costs of a newly introduced product. DVD players and DVD's themselves started out as a luxury item until there was plenty of supply available to the consumer, which eventually drove down the cost enough for even the relatively poorest American consumer to purchase one. This model should apply to biodiesel engines as well, in my humble opinion.

Former President Clinton Backs Biodiesel

"Former President Bill Clinton has publicly endorsed the use of biodiesel in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort and in other applications. Speaking recently at the Clinton GlobalInitiative (CGI), a global conference to develop policies and implement solutions to the world's most challenging problems, Clinton thanked Biodiesel America, a nonprofit leading the effort to get biodiesel donations into hurricane-stricken areas.

President Clinton honored one of the organization's leaders, Richard Blackledge, for his efforts to educate the public about the fuel, and for the emergency fuel shipments he has been coordinating.

"Biodiesel America is committed to mitigating climate change and increasing America's energy independence through public school education on biodiesel and restoration of the coastal areas of Louisiana with biodiesel-generated support systems," Clinton said. "The initial investment of $50,000 will lead up to a million dollars in services to assist the immediate recovery of southern Louisiana oil-producing and fishing towns...this is a very, very important thing...I hope you become a household name in America."

Through the establishment of the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, President George W. Bush has drawn on both Clinton and George H. Bush to lead the effort of appealing to Americans to aid the hurricane relief effort. Biodiesel America has donated $50,000 to the relief effort and coordinated the donation of thousands of gallons of biodiesel from West Central, an Iowa-based biodiesel producer. The alternative fuel is powering generators, ships and mobile medical units along the Gulf." (Read More)

As far as PR goes for biodiesel, it doesn't get any better than Clinton giving it the rub...hmmm Clinton giving something a rub... ::::shudder:::::

Biodiesel producer plans to make alternative fuel more available

"A Masschusetts-based biodiesel company announced plans Wednesday that could make the alternative fuel more available and cost-efficient across the Northeast.

Northeast Biodiesel president Lawrence Union said 75 percent of the biodiesel his company plans to start making will be sold to Biofuel Brokers, a Michigan company that will distribute the fuel to nearby refineries and wholesale suppliers.

"The mission here is to have biodiesel available on every street corner," Union said.

But that goal isn't about to happen overnight.

Northeast Biodiesel still needs to build its production facility, which is scheduled to open in a Greenfield industrial park next spring. And by the end of 2006, Union said the company will be ready to make about 5 million gallons of biodiesel a year from the recycled vegetable oil it's been buying from a New York-based business.

Biodiesel, which can be used on its own or blended with petroleum-based diesel fuel, can be used as home heating oil and can power cars, trucks and farm equipment with diesel engines. It can be made from recycled vegetable oils or soybeans." (Read More)

Well, multiply what's happening in this article by about a hundred and we'll really be cooking with...um gas. I figure if more companies set themselves up to put refueling stations filled with biodiesel on every corner as Union suggests, by 2010 the average American consumer just might be free from the clutches of petroleum oil. Maybe, just maybe then if we're fully or at least mostly divorced from petro, we can employ a Middle Eastern policy that isn't a crying shame. Saudi Arabia I'm looking in your direction.

...and finally; This last article has little to do with what is happening in America but I thought it was fairly amusing:

French drivers illegally use vegoil as fuel

"Some French motorists are dodging the near-record price of mineral oil by illegally using pure vegetable oil as a substitute for diesel, a French sunflower oil distributor said.

"At least 2,000 to 3,000 French motorists are using between 50 and 100 percent pure vegetable oil in their tanks right now," said Alain Juste, manager of Valenergol, a southwest-based sunflower oil distribution company.

Despite the European Union pushing for the development of pure vegetable oils as an alternative to traditional fuels, they have never been legally permitted in France. Motorists who use them risk being fined." (For laughs, read more)