[Sustainable-biodiesel] biofuels CAN be sustainable, and a reminder to caucus tomorrow!

[Jason Burroughs]

Dan - great info, thanks for that. However, the EU has not placed a ban 
on biodiesel imported from the US at this time. They are considering 
doing something, but to my knowledge, there has been no action and 
anything that may happen could be months or more away from actually 
being implemented. If you have any links that would show otherwise, 
please share them.

In our market, we sell B100 that comes from WVO, and agree with your 
comment that we need to educate people on the issue. I think perhaps a 
larger issue is that some people see only the big picture in black and 
white, which is that there is not enough production capacity of this 
type of local, sustainable fuel to feed our nation's appetite. So in 
effect we are in a catch-22 in which we need 2nd generation biofuels 
like algae, jatropha, etc, but there won't be enough research dollars 
poured into that to make it happen until the market for biofuels is 
large enough to support it - and today, we can't support that kind of 
market size with the fuel we are proposing is the good stuff.

Maybe I've gotten a little cynical about our prospects due to our own 
local situation, but I haven't really heard a high-level vision for 
local sustainable biodiesel at a scale that truly makes an impact in the 
energy market, using existing methodologies. It's certainly not 
hypocritical to suggest it is possible, but it does seem like our best 
fit is in niche communities that support the higher prices and the 
compatibility issues until the point that new technologies or methods 
make it more mainstream - and at that point, I fear much larger 
companies will own the patents to produce that sort of fuel.

What happens in 5 years when Monsanto grows an algae strain that 
produces oil with a cloud point of -20C that can be produced and sold at 
a lower cost than our existing model? Are these the salad days?

Jason Burroughs
DieselGreen Fuels
Visit our website <http://www.dieselgreenfuels.com>
512-391-0569
512-992-8677



Dan Freeman wrote:
>
> *Biofuel Sustainability*
>
> You may have read the 2 stories that came out today in the Seattle 
> Times and the Seattle PI (see links below), which state that “all 
> biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than 
> conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these 
> "green" fuels are taken into account.” Remember that not ALL biofuels 
> are created equally! Biofuels can be made sustainably, domestically, 
> and from byproducts of feedstocks being grown already for non-fuel use.
>
> And, now that the EU has placed a ban on importing biofuels grown 
> outside of the EU, we can be sure that more of the fuel we grow in the 
> US will stay in the US, and that we will not need to import fuel from 
> overseas, fuel that is likely being placed under the “all biofuels” 
> umbrella statements in the newspaper articles. This ban is most 
> definitely a huge step in keeping biofuels sustainable.
>
> More info on the ban:
>
> http://biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=1863
>
> http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2030
>
> We encourage you to write letters to the editors of the Times and the 
> PI to remind the media, and the public, that not all biofuels are 
> created equal. We need to let it be known that we do not support the 
> burning of rainforest or the draining of peat bogs in order to grow 
> plantations overseas, and that we do not support monocrops that 
> produce biofuels but take away from food production. If we continue to 
> build up demand for locally grown, produced, and used biofuels, we can 
> show that there is a way to do this sustainably. Please fell free to 
> pass this email on to any people or newsgroups that you feel might be 
> interested.
>
> Seattle Times article: 
> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004171188_ethanol08.html
>
> Seattle PI article: 
> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/350528_biofuels08.html
>
> *Remember to Caucus!*
>
> If you are a Washington resident who is supporting a Democratic 
> candidate, take note: the primary elections on Febraury 19^th WILL NOT 
> be used to determine the Democratic candidate! If you want to voice 
> your support for a Democratic candidate, then you need to attend the 
> caucus, which is happening tomorrow, Saturday, February 9^th . The 
> results of the precinct caucuses will determine which candidate gets 
> Washington’s delegates. And, since the race is so very close at this, 
> this caucus is very important!
>
> To figure out where you need to go tomorrow, use this tool to find 
> your precinct, or look on your voter’s registration card: 
> https://www.metrokc.gov/elections/pollingplace/voterlookup.aspx (this 
> is the tool for King County voters)
>
> Then, go here to enter your precinct and find out where your caucus 
> location is: http://www.wa-democrats.org/caucusfinder
>
> You can also call WA State Democrats at 206-583-4345 to figure out 
> where you need to go.
>
> The caucus starts at 1pm, but you should show up early, especially if 
> you need to change your address or have not yet registered to vote 
> (there will be registration forms on hand).
>
> Happy caucusing, and thanks for the ongoing support!
>
> Dr. Dan's Biodiesel
>
> 912 NW 50th St
>
> Seattle, WA 98107
>
> 206-783-5728
>
> www.drdansbiodiesel.com <http://www.drdansbiodiesel.com>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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