Delivering on its promise Biodiesel fuels LBM dealers

BIODIESEL blends are available at lueling stations and from distributors.

UILDING material dealers have found a new way to save money on vehicle maintenance, decrease air pollution, and reduce thc U.S.'s dependence on foreign oil.

Biodiesel-specially refined crop oils or recycled cooking fats that are usually mixed with traditional diesel-offers all these benefits, and more.

President George Bush is one of the biggest supporters of this alternative fuel. "Biodiesel burns more completely and produces less air pollution than gasoline or regular diesel," he said recently. "Biodiesel also reduces engine wear and produces almost no sulfur emissions. which makes it a good choice for meeting strict air quality standards."

Ace Hardware Corp.'s retail support center in Princeton, Il., recently completed a six-month test of biodiesel. The company used a bio blend of mostly traditional diesel with ll%o crop oil, such as soybean. "The test has proven that biodiesel is a financially viable alternative to conventional fuel," said Chuck Angela, logistics manager.

"We began talking about biodiesel fuel as early as two years ago," said Angela. "Once we determined that the tractors we use could operate on either conventional or biodiesel fuel. we were ready to roll."

Ace now plans to use biodiesel in more tractors operating out of its Princeton facility, and is considering using the fuel at its l4 other retail service centers. Cost savings, along with fewer emissions. are key incentives for the company. The fuel increases efficiency between I 14 to I 12 mile per gallon. For vehicles with tanks that can hold 100-150 gallons of fuel, that translates to major savings.

Users can save on taxes as well. As of January 2005, the federal government instituted an additional .9d per gallon tax credit for biodiesel. Currently, the U.S. Senate is working on a bill to extend biodiesel tax credits until 2010. At the local level, many cities and states already have tax incentives in place or are working on them.

At Madison Lumber in Ennis, Mt., owner Nancy Griffin uses a 207a blend in her small fleet of delivery trucks. "I did a lot of research." said Griffin. "I've been interested in alternative fuels for quite some time."

When she learned that biodiesel makes a diesel engine run more efficiently, last longer, and need half as many oil changes, she was sold.

Griffin pays a little more to have biodiesel shipped from Bozeman and pumped into a holding tank at her lumberyard, but she believes that the fuel's benefits are worth the extra cost and effort. "If you can get biodiesel transported to Ennis, Mt., you can get biodiesel anywhere," she said.

As more biodiesel plants are built, the fuel will become cheaper and easier to obtain. Already, production has risen from 500,000 gallons in 1999 to 30 million in 2004. "It's still the chicken and egg issue within the industry," said Griffin. "If the distributors made it available, it would be used, but they can't make it available until it is used."

Even though biodiesel is hot right now, it's really not a new idea. In the late 1890s, some of Rudolf Diesel's first compression-ignition engines were powered by peanut oil. By 19l I , he was predicting that "the use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today, but such oil may become as important as petroleum products of the present time."

Todav. biodiesel is the fastest growing alternative fuel in the U.S. during a recent visit to a biodiesel

With high gas prices and continued plant, "Every time we use homegrown unrest in the Middle East, support will biodiesel, we support American farmlikely grow. As President Bush noted ers, not foreign oil producers."