This turned up on EREN News: New Biodiesel Facility Begins Operation in Iowa
A new facility with the capacity to produce 12 million gallons of Biodiesel per year started operating in Ralston, Iowa, in early December. The West Central Soy plant is owned and operated by a farmers' cooperative and produces the biodiesel from soybeans. According to the National Biodiesel Board, the new facility is one of 18 dedicated biodiesel plants in the United States, with more than a dozen others in the planning stages. The National Biodiesel Board also noted recently that tests on biodiesel by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show a 47 percent reduction in particulate emissions compared to diesel fuel. The test also showed that the emissions benefits from using B20, a 20 percent blend of biodiesel with 80 percent diesel fuel, are greater than would be expected from the pure biodiesel results. As summarized by Steve Howell, technical director of the National Biodiesel Board, "Using B20 in 100 vehicles will actually reduce more pollution overall than using B100 (pure biodiesel) in 20 vehicles." See the press releases and the draft EPA report on the National Biodiesel Board Web site at: <http://www.biodiesel.org/>. One biodiesel manufacturer that is aggressively pursuing new facilities and outlets is Southern States Power Company, Inc. The company is currently planning to develop biodiesel production facilities in Riverside, California, and Phoenix, Arizona. The Riverside facility, if built, is expected to produce about 35 million gallons of biodiesel per year. The company is also working with U.S. Fuel Partners LLC to distribute and sell biodiesel in Colorado. See the recent press releases on the Southern States Web site at: <http://www.sspowerco.net/press.cfm>. At 06:50 PM 12/18/2002 -0500, you wrote: >(cross-posted with the Biodiesel list) >Has anyone taken a comprehensive look at why mainstream environmental groups >are lukewarm at best on BD, and written it up? If so, could you please >provide a link? Thanks! > >The main concerns that I've heard recently from that community are: > >1) potential supply is limited to ~3 billion gallons a year in the US, and >only ~1 billion of that recycled/WVO, and therefore just a marginal >potential dent in the ~35 billion gallons of dino diesel used in the US each >year; >2) agriculturally-produced non-recycled oils have a NoX problem; >3) Blended BD and alternative fuel incentives that support it are just >"greenwashing" and don't really make a difference, and most >subsidies/incentives let users get away with B2 or B20. >4) Large-scale agro production, and soy in particular, dominates as the >largest available and potential supply source, is not environmentally >sustainable, both because of a) the need to transport the fuel over large >distances from production source to end-use market, and b) unsustainable >farming practices of agribusinesses. > >Seems to me that these groups might support local/regional production >directed to specific markets like boating, but that right now they're far >from supporting the development of markets for >trucks/buses/boilers/generators etc. in any form. Instead, they're >supporting Natural Gas as a clean-burning fuel that they think will help >develop a lighter-than-air fuel distribution infrastructure for use down the >road with hydrogen... > >Would love to have everyone's thoughts on what of their concerns are valid, >what are invalid, and, regardless what can be done to address them and get >them on board, at least with regard to a particular class of local/regional >sustainable BD production and market development. > >Thanks, >Andrew > >---------------------------------------------------- >The Biofuel Business Development Project >http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Biofuel-Business-Plan/ >Dedicated to Making An Immediate Impact >On the Long-Range Future of Humanity >---------------------------------------------------- >N Space Labs, Inc. >www.NSpaceLabs.com >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >212.219.0851 (office) >646.221.5602 (mobile) >594 Broadway, #611 >NY, NY 10012 > > > >Biofuels at Journey to Forever >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html >Biofuel at WebConX >http://webconx.green-trust.org/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm >List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: >http://archive.nnytech.net/ >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >Your use of Yahoo! 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