Biofuel News Digest

Starting today, I will be providing a biofuel news digest. Basically, links to stories with my commentary. I use Google or other news search sites on the terms biodiesel, biofuel, or vegetable oil. Having done this on my own, I have been quite impressed with the quantity of stories, particularly the ones involving state governors, US senators etc. This is a growing phenomena which isn't reserved to concerned environmentalists.

South Carolina considers fueling its school bus fleet with biodiesel.
This is catalouged by AP as "weird news". AP, you're weird. Anyway, Josh Tickell, the Veggie Van pioneer, has a campaign to convert all of America's school buses to biodiesel. With 350 million gallons of diesel used by school buses each year, this is a good target market. But its not just the fuel, its educating the kids who ride the buses about the fuel.

Washington's governor Gregorie is pushing a biofules investment initiative.
Public officials see what everyone else sees. Money that is currently flowing out of the country into Sheik's bank accounts could be flowing into their constituents pockets. Biodiesel is a way to mitigate that by keeping money here at home. The pollution characteristics are not lost on them either. Gregorie's statment, "This is the economy of the future and I think we should lead the world." is a bold one but just what is needed. I wish California would adopt such an attitude.

The Port of Seattle will start using biodiesel in its operations.
Here, a US senator is named as a "broker" in the deal. The port acknowledges that they will pay more for gallon. I suspect that they know that the price we pay at the pump isn't the total cost of fuel. Biodiesel has the chance to help avert the next war, not start it.

Winnipeg Buses to run on Biodiesel Year-round.
City bus programs are turning to biodiesel around the country. Here, our friends to the north are busy making it happen as well. The article mentions a fuel additive that will help keep the buses running through cold weather. This is a big deal. One of biodiesel's main drawbacks right now is it's gel point. Biodiesel gels at around 32 degrees F while petrodiesel gels at around 5 degrees F.