Are these people selling biodiesel legitimately, meaning, collecting the proper taxes? Or is it under the table? Is their fuel being tested to ASTM standards? My point is that if anybody can produce good quality biodiesel, what's stopping every other person from making it and selling it? It's one thing to make it for your own personal use, but I thought the big oil companies and EPA wouldn't allow the sale of biodiesel from WVO unless it has been tested to ASTM standards, which can be very expensive. Tom Leue from Yellow Biodiesel had some issues with the EPA, which I'll let him comment on if he wants to because it's not my place to talk about someone else's operation. Tom, I hope you read this and can comment. Jonathan.
--- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, girl mark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >County's first biodiesel station cooks up alternative to gasoline > > > >Berkeley venture offers vegetable oil recycled as environmentally friendly > >fuel > > > >By Kristin Bender, STAFF WRITER > > > >BERKELEY -- BioFuel Oasis, the first biodiesel station in Alameda County, > >doesn't have a pump or those handy packaged wet wipes for your hands like > >a typical filling station. > > > >There's no squeegee to wash your windshield. > > > >And no place to buy coffee. > > > >What BioFuel Oasis of Berkeley sells is biodiesel and nothing but > >biodiesel -- recycled vegetable oil from restaurants and potato chip > >factories that's making a second appearance as an alternative fuel. > > > >Available in only 10 retail spots in the state, biodiesel powers any car > >or truck that will run on diesel, including any Mercedes Benz, old > >Volkswagens and new Volkswagen TDIs and trucks, said BioFuel Oasis > >founders Jennifer Radtke, 33, of Oakland and SaraHope Smith, 37, of Berkeley. > > > >At $2.90 a gallon, the fuel still isn't cheaper than gas. But it's far > >better for the environment, producing 50 percent fewer emissions than > >standard diesel, studies show. > > > >"It's a little more expensive, but it runs clean and I find that it > >performs in the engine. I have a little more torque," said biodiesel user > >Michael Caldwell, who sells cars and drives a 2002 Volkswagen Golf Turbo > >Diesel GL. Caldwell averages about 40 miles to the gallon with biodiesel, > >far better than what a similar car with a gas engine gets, he said. > > > >In January 2003, Berkeley became the first city in the nation to convert > >to biodiesel for 200 municipal cars used by firefighters, police, Health > >and Human Services workers and Public Works crews. > > > >Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the city the > >"environmental award for outstanding achievement" in efforts to protect > >the environment. > > > >Biodiesel is generally made from domestically produced vegetable oil, > >often soy oil. > > > >Some biodiesel users claim the fuel gives off an aroma like French fries > >or donuts. Radtke said it smells "like an oil fryer." > > > >Studies show that burning biodiesel significantly reduces the impacts on > >global warming, smog and asthma. The cleaner-burning fuel produces 80 > >percent less greenhouse gasses than gasoline. > > > >"It's simple: You can touch it, it's non-flammable, it's really safe. It's > >this totally amazing thing to use as fuel," Radtke said. "It's totally > >unlike anything you think of as fuel." > > > >But even in the green and clean Bay Area, biodiesel isn't widely available. > > > >According to Radtke and Smith, both members of the Berkeley Biodiesel > >Collective, and a check of > ><https://shannon.permutation.net/cgi-bin/nph- proxy.cgi/010110A/http/www.biodiesel->www.biodiesel- > > > > > >.org, the site of the National Biodiesel Board, there are fewer than a > >dozen retail fueling sites in California. Golden Gate Petroleum in > >Martinez and West- > > > >ern States Oil in San Jose both provide biodiesel to the public. > > > >"We want to make biodiesel a legitimate alternative for whomever -- for > >soccer moms, for business people, for anyone whose values are aligned with > >ours, and who thinks it's the right thing to do," Smith said. > > > >"One of the factors (for supporting biodiesel) was we are going to war for > >oil. That does not compute in my sense of logic," added Smith, who runs an > >after-school program and does landscape gardening when she's not working > >at BioFuel Oasis. > > > >Both women drive cars that run on biodiesel. Although the partners said > >they are only "covering their rent" with the money they're making, > >greenbacks can be had in sustainable fuel, said Pat O'Keefe, vice > >president of Golden Gate Petroleum, a fuel distributor. > > > >"Compared to regular petroleum, it's a very small demand," O'Keefe said. > >"But our volume seems to be doubling every year. But it still has a long > >way to go. It's a small portion of our business." > > > >O'Keefe said there is enough demand for his company to open a second > >retail outlet in Richmond this summer. > > > >Radtke and Smith hope to install a pump this summer and generate more > >business. For now, they sell the biodiesel in 5-gallon plastic "carboys." > >The women are currently working to secure city permits and raise a few > >thousand dollars to upgrade the business. > > > >To that end, they have designed a "founding members program" to fill the > >piggy bank. > > > >"Our founding members program is our answer to non-venture capitalism," > >Smith said. A donation buys a spot in the "founding members program," the > >chance to autograph a future pump, a founding members membership card and > >a keepsake bottle of boutique biodiesel, possibly in a rosemary or > >cilantro flavor. > > > >"Biodiesel and Sustainability" panel discussion 7 to 9 p.m. today at > >BioFuel Oasis, 2465 Fourth St. A $5 to $15 donation is requested. For more > >information on BioFuel Oasis or its hours, call 665-5509. > > > >Kristin Bender covers Berkeley. E-mail her at > ><https://shannon.permutation.net/cgi-bin/nph- proxy.cgi/010110A/mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >. > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
