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Users of biodiesel can now fill tanks at trailer in Ojai
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More from Local NewsWith the nearest gas station offering biodiesel fuel located in Santa Barbara, diesel drivers in Ventura County have had limited "green" fuel resources.
But with the official ribbon-cutting this weekend for a biodiesel trailer in Ojai, local biodiesel-fuel users now have a closer place to fill up their tanks.
Biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative fuel made from fat, such as restaurants' waste cooking oil, which is converted for vehicle use. The Ventura County Biodiesel Cooperative is holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Saturday for its biodiesel trailer at 370 W. Baldwin Road in Ojai.
"We feel really guilt-free about not having to go to gas stations anymore," said Christopher "Topher" Blunt, co-founder of the cooperative. He said the trailer actually has been in operation since May 31.
Scheduled to appear at the event are actor Larry Hagman and Ojai Mayor Sue Horgan. Blunt, president of Ojai Solar Electric, said Hagman is one of his customers. Hagman donated money to the cooperative, an amount Blunt said he was not at liberty to disclose.
"It was a generous amount. It got us started," Blunt said.
Hagman said every time Blunt visited his Upper Ojai house, he smelled like McDonald's. "It's because he was burning up that restaurant oil," Hagman said
The actor, who supports various environmental projects, said he doesn't have a biodiesel vehicle yet, but he does have a truck that runs on propane and gasoline. "When I lived in Texas, everyone had one," he said of the truck.
Hagman said he also has an electric car, and he thinks the concept of running vehicles on cooking oil is interesting. "If you can use it twice, it's great," he said.
Paul Jenkin, co-founder of the cooperative, said the project started when the only gas station that sold biodiesel in Ventura County discontinued sales in December.
Paul Kavon, manager of Ventura Harbor Marine Fuel, said although his station has sold biodiesel fuel since 2002, it no longer is approved for road use.
Blunt said that with the help of Kent Bullard, president and co-founder of the Los Angeles Biodiesel Cooperative, his group was able to lease a trailer from the Southern California Biodiesel Users Group, a nonprofit organization.
"It's not a business. It's more of a community access," Bullard said of his group. He said members pre-purchase 60 or 100 gallons of fuel, currently at $5.17 a gallon.
Blunt said about 20 members are now getting fuel from the Ojai trailer. Jenkin said he hopes this number grows.
"There is often a lot of confusion. A lot of people think biodiesel fuel is vegetable oil and they need to convert their vehicles," Jenkin said. Any diesel vehicle can use biodiesel fuel, he said.
Jenkin said the cooperative still needs to raise $10,000 for the trailer lease payments. He said the group also hopes to put another trailer in a more central area of the county.
"We'd like to be able to prove there is a viable market for biodiesel fuel," Jenkin said.
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Posted by toyrunner on July 18, 2008 at 5:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Too many questions here.
If the fuel is no longer approved for the road, who did the disapproval and why is this company selling it for road use?
Why is clean fuel disapproved for road use?
Is it because there is no tax associated with it? If that is all that is stopping the use of a clean alternative fuel, why isn't there more of an effort to create a tax base and broaden production of this fuel?
Posted by info on July 18, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Fuel is taxed differently if it is sold for on-road use or off-road use. The biodiesel sold at the Harbor is now for off-road marine use. It's the same fuel, with some dye added. They used to sell B100 for road use, at a higher price due to the road taxes. When USA Gas began selling B100 at the pump on Thompson, the Harbor reverted back to off-road biodiesel. Biodiesel is perfectly legal for road use, as long as the proper taxes are paid at the time of sale, and the user is a member of a Biodiesel Users Group or Co-op. The co-op is not "selling" fuel, we are purchasing in bulk, paying taxes at that time, and then distributing it at cost to our members. Reselling to the public would trigger sales tax liability and bring in the regulatory agencies. We are committed to making it EASIER for people to have an alternative to petroleum. vcbiodiesel.org
Posted by belardom on July 18, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
toyrunner
Go to the website listed in the article, all your questions are good ones.
Posted by DoctorDude on July 18, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Biodiesel is sold at USA Gas on Thompson in VTA as well
Posted by Ventura22 on July 18, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I like the idea of an alternate fuel source, but there are some issues that have been overlooked and may put a stop to this operation.
Does the dispensing setup meet all fire code requirements for motor vehicle fuel dispensing? Doubt it. Dispensing is dispensing, no matter if it's a co-op, retail or whatever.
Was this approved by the fire code people? Biodiesel isn't recognized any different than regular diesel in the codebooks, and has no exceptions. If it burns like diesel, acts like diesel, and is even called diesel in it's name...guess what??
Is the dispensing device certified by the weights and measures folks? Doubt it.
Can they legally transport those quantities of fuel in a trailer like that with no hazardous materials licensing/approvals/placarding? CHP may have an issue with this thing on the road.
Is that location cleared for fuel dispensing? Zome clearances obtained? Probably not.
We should be looking for alternative fuel sources, but it appears that this set-up is jerry-rigged and prone to unwanted attention from the governing agencies. Better planning would avoid a shut-down and/or costly accident.
Posted by Ventura22 on July 18, 2008 at 6:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Biodiesel is no longer sold at the USA on Thompson; I tried to buy some there a few weeks ago and they no longer stock it. Hopefully, the brains behind the biodiesel concept will also come-up with a dispenser gauging device and approvals so they can resume the sale of it at this and other stations. $5.17 a gallon to drive to Ojai isn't cost-effective when pertodiesel sells for 4.79 to 5.00 a gallon at stations in Oxnard-Ventura-Camarillo. If the biodiesel folks really want to move this stuff, they need to get the proper approvals, make it available at service stations and make it a few cents cheaper than petro. It can be done. It's not really a "green" source, as it still emits similar pollutants to petrodiesel, but if it's domestically produced, that's a great start to cutting foreign dependence.
Posted by goldeneye on July 21, 2008 at 7 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Anyone who uses biodiesel is immoral. To drive to their petty social events, they burn up potential food resources and drive up the price of staples like corn that commonly feed the poor around the globe. If you drive biodiesel, you are responsible for the food shortages and violence in Haiti. You are raping the poor and taking food out of the mouths of children.
Posted by sunnbear on July 21, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Quite a stretch, goldeneye.
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