Filed under: Biodiesel
Environmentally conscious drivers sticking with biodiesel even at higher prices
Over the past year, the price of diesel fuel has climbed up above the cost of gasoline and stayed there consistently. Unfortunately for diesel drivers, that price differential also applies to biodiesel to an even larger degree. Nonetheless, the extra 10 cents a gallon for B20 over straight petroleum diesel hasn't stopped people at one station in Fort Collins, Colorado. Sales of Blue Sun B20 at the Team Petroleum have continued to climb this year even at the higher prices although some other stations have discontinued selling B20. It's possible that drivers who are only marginally interested in using a greener fuel have given up on the more expensive option. With the reduced availability, other more environmentally conscious drivers have probably switched over to the Team station as a result. The city of Fort Collins is still using B20 in city vehicles as well although they may have to reconsider if prices continue to climb.[Source: The Coloradoan]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mik_Cal 11:28AM (7/03/2008)
The title of this article contains within it one of the unfortunate ironies of the environmental movement of the last several years:
People latched onto biofuels as "green" before they really knew all of the problems. Now it functions as a "badge" of green but really is either neutral in terms of its overall impact or negative as rising demand for biofuels endangers the health of the soil and the food system.
People who think of biofuels as "green" now might better be thought of as "people who are easily tricked into thinking that something is green" or "people who are suckers for a green sales pitch."
The only way that biofuels would be green is some form of eco-certification of them. If you are not talking about eco-certification of biofuels, you are not talking about anything that's ecologically sustainable.
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Ian Kennedy 5:45PM (7/03/2008)
Some folks do it so they're not putting cash into the pocket of people who want to kill us.
Although I do laugh at the idea that a logo or certification program would some how fix the alledged lack of greeness with biofuels. Biofules from sustainbable crops while not perfectly cabon neutral (energy needed to make that stuff), they are far closer to carbon neutral than any petro-fuels.
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Mik_Cal 12:10AM (7/04/2008)
Ian Kennedy,
Real Eco-certification is not just a label...it's a process that uses a third party or government agency that certifies that something is "greener" than an alternative by testing and monitoring. The "green" portion is defined and publicly known. If you "laugh at" the organic label, you're missing out on a revolution in farming. If you "laugh at" UL certification, you don't understand what it means to have third parties verify that something is true.
Your statement that "biofuels are far closer to carbon neutral than any petro-fuels" is an unverified statement or prejudice of the biofuels movement that may or may not be true of one biofuel or another. Some biofuels can and are produced with MORE GHG emissions than they avoid. If you put the use of fresh water and the use of high quality agricultural resources for producing them (meaning going beyond just carbon), they may be a negative for the environment.
Therefore, we need to have people checking on claims like that made in your comment. Therefore an eco-certification program for them (there are already movements in this direction under way.
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