Biodiesel available in 49 states!

Biodiesel available in all 50, no wait, 49 states!

The National Biodiesel Board on their Guide to Buying Biodiesel claims that "high quality biodiesel is available in all 50 states."

Hmmmm.. I think the key word is "available." I've been promoting biodiesel in Alaska for years, and although there a a number of homebrewers, pilot/demonstration projects and enthusiastic entrepreneurs, I have yet to find biodiesel for sale in Alaska.

I mean no producers, no distributors, and no retailers. It's make it yourself or ship it up from Seattle.

I wrote an email to the Biodiesel Board and left a voice message, they have yet to get back to me. Maybe I should have written it more nicely. Here's what I wrote:

I see on your website and numerous government and biodiesel brochures that biodiesel is "available is all 50 states."

Is there something I'm missing or is this like saying "biodiesel is available in Antarctica" because you can ship it there.

I've been working for years trying to bring biodiesel to Alaska, and unless I want to buy a tote or a container in Seattle and ship it up, which effectively doubles the price, biodiesel is NOT available in Alaska.

The Alaska Energy Authority's test of fish oil biodiesel is not available to the public (and is starting to degrade) and the Alaska Biodiesel Alliance's test of cold weather blends in Juneau is not available to the public either. There is a little co-op in Fairbanks, but they are brewing their own in a hot water heater and it has not undergone the ASTM testing yet. The Delta Canola oil pilot project is working with the Fairbanks co-op to make biodiesel, but as far as I know it hasn't happened yet.

Please, set me straight and let me know where I can send people who ask where they can get biodiesel up here.

Thanks.

More details on what IS going on with Alaska biodiesel in future blogs..

Veg on!