Senate extends tax credit for biodiesel industry in 2010

[wpsedgwick]

Source: Green Technology Daily

The US Senate approved a massive job-creation bill that restores a $1 a gallon biodiesel tax credit for 2010 that had expired at the end of last year.

Congress had been extending the tax credit at the end of each year but the Senate was embroiled with contentious health care reform in December and did not address the issue.

Without the tax credit, biodiesel is not price competitive with petroleum diesel and the $4.3 billion industry is in dire financial shape, according to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), a trade group.



Read more: http://www.greentechnologydaily.com/energy/660-senate-extends-tax-credit-for-biodiesel-industry-in-2010

[handmade34]

1. serious problems with biodiesels n/t

[John Q. Citizen]

2. the problem is mainly that the bio diesel board pushes soy. It they would use

rape seed (mustard seed) it would be far more competitive. The problem is similar to the ethanol industry using corn as feed stock; it's worth more as food than as fuel.

Ethanol from Jerusalem artichokes (aka sun chokes) is far cheaper per acre because it requires far less inputs, and produces far more ethanol per acre than corn does.

The bio diesel industry needs to learn to recycle grease trap grease since it is a waste product that could be utilized.

Rape seed oil isn't suitable for human or animal consumption and the seed cake can be sold as a natural organic herbicide, which makes it cost competitive to press.

As long as the bio diesel and ethanol industries try to push soy and corn feed stocks, they will fail economically.

[handmade34]

3. this issue

should get serious thought and research... Your thoughts are well guided and more needs to be considered in the way of externalities. Nothing is simple anymore.

[Chemical Bill]

4. The biodiesel I use is recycled food waste.

Local restaurant waste oil is processed nearby, and a local oil dealer has pumps for filling your car, and delivers to your home for heat.

http://www.newportbiodiesel.com/

Certainly food waste will not make a dent in our petroleum consumption, but steps like this add up, the more people using biodiesel the more incentive to develop other sources.

BTW, the last I heard (which is a couple of years ago, so I may be presenting outdated information) we didn't even use all of the soy oil left over from cattle feed (which is soy meal with the oil removed and discarded).

Bill