>To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >From: "Appal Energy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 16:25:58 -0400 >Subject: NBB & Micro-Manufacture Revisited was Re: [Biodiesel] Re: >Why mix heating oil? > >Blane, > >It's not all as simple as that. > >The $5,000 annual membership fee for the NBB applies whether 1 >gallon or 1,000,000 gallons is produced for on-road use. They create >no sliding scale to accommodate micro-regional manufacture and small >production levels. While their mission statement is to serve the >biodiesel industry, they economically preclude the very sector of >the industry that brought it to predominance prior to soy interests >assuming title role. > >This should be more than a little disconcerting. > >Were the NBB to actively serve the best present day and future >interests of the biodiesel industry as a whole and as it professes, >rather than specific feedstock sectors or production levels, they >would alter their membership requirements to include at minimum the >following: > >1) Implement a reasonable sliding-scale membership fee, based upon >annual production level. > >2) Authorize the use of independent auditors to check the books as >needed to maintain each member's security of proprietary customer >data, rather than such data being mandatorily available to the NBB >specifically. The "audit clause" of membership is too broad and >invasive as presently written. > >3) Establish a cost effective product analysis system that can >afford small producers the opportunity to have their product's >quality checked at least once or twice each fiscal year, rather than >implementing a system that requires a "once in a lifetime" product >analysis. > >4) Remove the bond forfeiture clause for non-members should the >soybean councils not recover their Tier I & II checkoff dollar >investment by May 25, 2015. Better still, remove the May 25, 2015 >deadline entirely and open end it to accommodate whatever date these >revenues are recovered, at which time all bonds will be returned in >the manner prescribed by the bylaws. > >Were such simple measures implemented, there would be considerably >more interest in, availability and consumption of biodiesel at all >levels in a far shorter period than presently exists. > >It makes no good sense for the NBB and or soybean councils to "take >the lead" and then excessively restrict micro-manufacture. All this >can do is effectively stifle market demand on a national scale, >which hinders the best interests of the soybean councils in both the >short and long term. > >Todd Swearingen > >----- Original Message ----- >From: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Blane Robinson >To: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 12:24 AM >Subject: Re: [Biodiesel] Re: Why mix heating oil? > >I wonder how many people in this group have actually done any research on >the actual circumstances surrounding the Yellow controversy. I have. One can >see why the government doesn't want unregulated fuel on the highways. You >never know what you might get. That's the statement they use, anyway. Be >that as it may, all the complaining we can do in our midst won't change the >requirements that the government puts on producers of motor fuels. The >requirements are this: If you are going to market a diesel related fuel, it >has to meet the specifications for diesel fuel, in every way. If it doesn't, >you're introducing a new fuel, and you have to have the Tier I and Tier II, >and possibly Tier III health effects tests. > >The alternative to getting these tests is to align yourself with an >organization that already has this health-effects data. The NBB is one such >organization. Yellow Biodiesel was given the opportunity to join the NBB on >numerous occasions, but chose not to. The price at that time was $2,500 per >year. That's not outrageous. Many people make the NBB out to be some >predatory, exclusionary organization, but in reality they offer a fairly >low-cost way to meet the standards that the Federal government has imposed. >It's also fairly easy to meet the requirements of the NBB. To be a member, >you have to agree to register with the EPA,;which you have to do anyway, and >the NBB helps you fill out the labyrinth of forms; you have to pay the >$5,000 annual fee, and you have to agree to produce ASTM spec fuel. That's >it. > >I think we should stop painting the NBB as the ogre in this situation until >we have all the facts. > >Blane.
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