I could go in more detail about this, but suffice it to say that anyone driving or planning to drive a diesel car or truck made in 2007 or later will have problems with biodiesel over about B20. Even at B20, you need to make sure and have your oil changed regularly, due to another side effect - engine oil dilution. It turns out that this poorly devised emissions system forces the injectors to squirt diesel fuel in the exhaust stroke, which naturally makes its way into the engine oil. However, diesel fuel evaporates off (sort of) and biodiesel does not.

So - because of these two issues, we recommend the use of only B20 in these vehicles. Furthermore, we ask that you sign a petition that’s been put together to literally Save Biodiesel. Without compatible vehicles, there is no biodiesel industry.

Please take just a minute to sign this petition, which is being sent to the OEMs. We’ve had conversations with them, and the final nail in the DPF coffin came with a detailed presentation by Chevron, who makes engine oil and lubricants. Everyone in the industry knows this is a problem, but until they hear it from YOU, it’s a problem they can ignore.

Thanks for supporting us, and thanks for choosing biodiesel made from locally collected and processed used cooking oil!

Petition is HERE

Jason Burroughs
DieselGreen Fuels
512-247-FUEL

The presentation will be about our Fryer to Fuel program for recycling local restaurant oil into biodiesel and can be found at http://www.dieselgreenfuels.com/DGF.pptx

I’m pretty excited to be telling our story in front of the State Legislature and hope to make some good contacts during the day’s events.

The biodiesel industry is still in its infancy; as such, we are unable to compete on a level playing ground with entrenched oil companies who enjoy massive subsidies. Back in 2005, Congress approved a $1 per gallon subsidy to the biodiesel industry. Profit margins on fuels are razor thin, and this subsidy allows us to begin to build a market for alternative fuels, which reduce our dependence on foreign oil, keep the air clean, and keeps money in the local economy. 

This subsidy is set to expire at the end of 2009 and must be renewed. This year, I’m asking for your help to contact Senator Cornyn, our Senator on the Finance Committee, who is writing the Economic Stimulus package for Congress. Please let him know how important biodiesel is to you and our state, sending him an email (his staffers are sara_butler@cornyn.senate.gov and ross_thomasson@cornyn.senate.gov). 

Here is the letter I sent:

I am contacting you as the Vice President for Membership for the Biodiesel Coalition of Texas (BCOT) http://biodieselcoalitionoftexas.org/   We are a Texas trade association comprised of 29 companies involved in the production, marketing, and distribution of biodiesel in Texas.  I am also the owner of DieselGreen Fuels, a biodiesel distributor in Austin employing 6 people.

 We understand that an extension of the biodiesel excise tax credit is being considered for the Economic Stimulus bill being debated in the Senate Finance Committee this week.  

 Given the economic impacts and job creation potential of the biodiesel industry to Texas and the Country, we certainly hope that Senator Cornyn will consider supporting an extension of the biodiesel excise tax credit in this bill.

 Texas has recently become the nation’s leading producer of biodiesel.  As such, the biodiesel industry has started to add significant value to theTexas economy. According to a study by Texas A&M (extrapolated for 2008 with estimated production at 100 mm gallons), biodiesel represents:

-           Estimated $400 million in economic output

-           1,200 jobs

 If the Texas industry produced at capacity in 2009 (536 million gallons)

-           $3.7 billion total economic impact (Direct and Indirect)

-           10,000 jobs

 According to the National Biodiesel Board, the biodiesel industry supports some 51,893 jobs; $4.287 billion of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP); displaced 38.1 million barrels of imported petroleum; generated $866.2 million in tax revenue.

 Absent federal action to address the unprecedented credit and market crisis facing the industry, over 29,000 of these jobs could be lost in 2009 alone.

 The members of  BCOT appreciate your attention to this issue and hope Senator Cornyn will be able to support the continued growth of our industry in Texas by supporting the extension of the biodiesel excise tax credit in the Economic Stimulus bill.

 Please let me know if you have any questions.

Jason Burroughs

DieselGreen Fuels, Austin TX

www.dieselgreenfuels.com

512-391-0569

——————————-

My personal opinion is that subsidies are not a great long-term solution. In fact, I’ve publicly stated that the biodiesel subsidy goes more to the feedstock providers than the biodiesel producers. However, I fully support local, sustainable biodiesel business models who collect used cooking oil and recycle it into biodiesel. These micro-scale businesses can thrive with a subsidy, and may not survive in the short term without it. So I urge you to contact the Senator in support of this resolution, and support your local biodiesel company!

Again, his staff contact information is:  sara_butler@cornyn.senate.gov and ross_thomasson@cornyn.senate.gov

Biodiesel is a drop-in replacement for diesel fuel that is made from fatty acids found in animals and vegetables. This class is going to provide a hands-on view of what biodiesel is, how you can make it, and how you can incorporate biodiesel into your green business, backyard projects, or your own diesel vehicle.

Topics to be covered:

• Biodiesel Basics (what it is, history)
• Used vegetable oil quality assessment
• Biodiesel chemistry (transesterification)
• Making your own half-liter batch of biodiesel
• Discussion of how to scale production up
• Insight into the current industry
• Running your car or truck on biodiesel

Prerequisites: None
Instructor: Chris Continanza

Christopher Continanza is the logistics manager at DieselGreen Fuels in Austin, TX.   DieselGreen Fuels provides waste vegetable oil collection, high-end vegetable oil conversions, and biodiesel retail.  Christopher also has an SEI certification in biodiesel fuel.

To register, visit http://www.hubbertspeak.org/January17.html

For more information, please contact Chris Continanza at chris@dieselgreenfuels.com

Alternative Fuel Events – Fall 2008

Sept 16             3-7pm        Deluxe Intro to Biodiesel        DieselGreen Fuels         5217 Cesar Chavez St.

Matt Rudolf of Piedmont Biofuels Coop will teach a hands-on class for $49, proceeds to fund Piedmont Biofuels. For more information, or to RSVP, contact Frankie Abralind at 804-363-5563

Sept 17    9am-5pm  Sustainable Biodiesel Stakeholders Meeting  International Center     201 E. 2^nd St.

 A day of open discussion on the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the biodiesel industry in the U.S. Membership is only $25/year to the non-profit Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance and supports efforts to create sustainable business practices in the biodiesel industry. For more information, go to http://www.fuelresponsibly.org

Sept 18                   8am-5pm                  Texas Biofuels Conference & Expo            Austin Airport Hilton

 The 3rd Annual Texas Biofuels Conference & Expo will take an in-depth look at the latest regulatory, agricultural, and technical developments impacting the renewable fuels industry in Texas. Cost is $400 - $500. For more information, go to http://www.biodieselcoalitionoftexas.org

Sept 26 – 28^th                               Renewable Roundup                                    Fredericksburg, TX

 The 9^th Annual Renewable Roundup is Texas’ premier weekend conference renewable energy and sustainable living. For more information, visit http://www.theroundup.org. Jason Burroughs of DieselGreen Fuels will be speaking on vegetable oil and biodiesel as fuels.

Oct 11 – 12^th                               Sustainable Living Roadshow                  One Hundred Acres Woods

 The Sustainable Living Roadshow (SLR) is a caravan of educators and entertainers who tour the country in a fleet of renewable fuel vehicles setting up off-the-grid eco-carnivals with experiential learning villages, empowering communities to utilize sustainable living strategies for a healthier planet. For more information, visit http://www.sustainablelivingroadshow.org. Jason Burroughs of DieselGreen Fuels will be speaking on vegetable oil and biodiesel as fuels.

Oct 17 – 18^th                                                      AltCar Expo                                    Palmer Events Center

 Free to the public, this is the first year that the AltCar Expo will be in Austin. Everything from Electric cars to biofuels and more. For more information, visit http://www.austinenergyaltcar.com. DieselGreen will have a booth showing our vegetable oil powered Golf and our biodiesel-powered 2009 Jetta TDI

We are still in the early planning stages and are looking for one or two volunteers to help put the event together - make flyers, take to our retail locations, set up food, etc. Anyone interested should contact Andrew Taft at 703-585-1578 or taftandrew@yahoo.com.

We hope to build momentum with this meeting, perhaps establish a Meetup group, and establish a real community of vegetable oil fuel users. Please forward this to any interested parties or email lists.

Thanks!

Jason Burroughs
DieselGreen Fuels
512-247-FUEL x70
jason@dieselgreenfuels.com

Lots of exciting things going on in the world of alternative fuels these days. Congress is close to passing a bill that would close the “splash and dash” loophole, which would eliminate companies bringing in biodiesel from overseas, splashing in a bit of diesel to take a tax credit, then shipping it off to Europe for more subsidies. They are also (FINALLY) talking about upping the credit for WVO biodiesel to $1 to match that of new oil biodiesel. I guess someone finally figured out that recycled oil is a very good thing and should be encouraged.

The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance is starting to build its core team, and we are proud to be on one of the working groups. A pioneer in Austin’s alternative fuel business, Jeff Plowman, was recently named Executive Director - pulling enough weight to bring the SBA headquarters to downtown Austin. The SBA will be a key player in the push toward responsibly produced biofuels, and we’re lucky to have them.

The City of San Francisco is now competing with established biodiesel producers for the grease generated by the many restaurants there, then trucking it out of state to be made into biodiesel for their own use. Opportunities abound for smart municipalities wanting to recycle waste into energy - however, I don’t believe that this is the way to do it. Sending health inspectors into restaurants to sign over the rights to their oil is unfair competition, and I’m certain we’ll be seeing a lawsuit by the end of the year.

Company News

This is a big one. After almost two years of doing all the work ourselves, we’ve hired our first employee. TJ Barr comes to us by way of Seattle, bringing with him 8 years of diesel mechanic skills. He is working with us on fuel deliveries, oil collection, transport of goods, and vehicle conversions. A hands-on helper is something we’ve talked about from the beginning, but we haven’t been able to justify it until now. Our first interview, our first paycheck, maybe even our first day off - it’s very exciting to take this step for our customers and for our own sanity. Next on our list will be a full-time relationship manager to work with restaurants and kitchens on oil recycling and/or an office manager to work on quickbooks and process flow (currently a large portion of what I do). We are not actively hiring for these positions yet, but resumes are being accepted at jasonat dieselgreenfuelscom

As the business has grown, our processes have evolved from verbal agreements to contracts, from handwritten sales logs to Quickbooks. Now that our oil collection has grown signficantly, we have been working behind the scenes to grow the business infrastructure to support our growing customer base. Rather than build a purpose-made facility to process oil at this larger scale, we have established a relationship with a business outside of Austin to perform this dirty task for us. This new partnership will ensure that we are able to keep up with demand, continue to scale as conditions require, and focus on our core business strengths. During this transition period, lasting until early July, we will not have any vegetable oil for sale of any kind. Once we get the system in place, we will have oil again, at a price that is $1.50 below biodiesel at our pump, including the federal road tax.

Announcing our new photo gallery - http://www.dieselgreenfuels.com/gallery is the home of our new site for pictures of customers, events, cool vehicles and equipment, and anything related to the Austin alternative fuel scene. Suggestions for content are welcome, and users can register to upload their own pictures as well.

Personal News

I’m in the early stages of working on a book about my experiences over the last few years as part of an emerging movement of green entrepreneurs. From driving a Viper and working for a tech startup, to driving a plant-powered Volkswagen and dumpster driving for grease, I’ve worked 80 hours a week to jump out of one career and into another. I’ve met so many others with the same ambition that I feel our country is on the verge of a major shift in skillsets - from a technology-based economy focused solely on growth to the reality of shrinking resources (and ice caps). Somewhere in between the hardcore environmentalists and the investment bankers is a growing legion of unsatisfied office workers and cube dwellers. From the arline mechanic running a biodiesel business during his off hours to the telecom executive running a coop on the weekends, our middle class is turning green. Without the pressure of fighting to survive, or the distractions of the super rich, middle America has the time and money to work to make a difference. I believe that this is a story not yet told, barely seen and rarely heard. Just as I’ve been inspired by the people I’ve met from all over the country, there are millions more who haven’t yet heard the call. I hope to write something that inspires, motivates, and entertains. It will be a slow process, and I am seeking individuals or organizations that would be interested in telling their story. Please contact me at jason@dieselgreenfuels.com.

Upcoming Events

July 18 - 20th  - Biodiesel Collective Conference, Golden CO (just outside Denver). This will be our third year attending the most important gathering of like-minded biodiesel enthusiasts in the country! For less than $100 plus travel, you can spend 3 days immersed in homebrew biodiesel, community-based oil collection, and cutting edge biofuels research presentations. Last year, we presented on the “failure” of our coop, and our evolution into a biodiesel distributor and oil collection/processor. This year, I plan to talk about the continued growth of the business, regulatory and legal issues related to our business, and absorb as much as I can from the other attendees.

September 17 - 18  - Texas Biodiesel Conference and Expo, Austin Airport Hilton. Save the date for this full day conference on biodiesel issues related to Texas. Lots of great speakers and panels planned, as well as a couple of great parties. We sat out last year because it was so depressing (thank you, TCEQ), but this year we are planning to attend.

October 17 - 18 - Austin Energy AltCar Expo, Palmer Auditorium. This FREE conference will show you all different types of alternative fueled vehicles. We will be there with our veggie powered 2004 Golf, giving demonstrations of the technology, talking about biodiesel, and representing Austin’s only source of these products. Come out and see us!

Important Links

Austin Eco Network - a fantastic email listserv dedicated to eco-happenings around Austin. 0-5 emails per day, moderated posting.

Austin Bootstrap Network - a loose organization of people starting their own businesses by “bootstrapping”, generally referring to self-funding and working on a small to non-existent budget. Free to join, and great resources for entrepreneurs. There’s even a Sustainability Subgroup for entrepreneurs interested in starting businesses related to renewable energy, green building, energy conservation, and related areas.

Please feel free to post comments to this blog below.

Thanks for reading,

Jason Burroughs, DieselGreen Fuels

Today, I am happy to announce a major expansion of our business!

We now have 6 locations across Austin - from Bastrop to Oak Hill, from Manchaca to the UT Campus, we’ve got you covered.

The price varies by retailer, but is in the $4.40 - $4.50 range. Please see our Station Locator page (opens in a new window) for complete information, including Google Map.

We are actively seeking partners to expand north - we need locations on 183 North (Lamar to Leander), and I-35 North (183 to Georgetown). For a $5000 investment, an existing business can add a turnkey biodiesel station. Contact me at 512-247-3835 for more info.

Also, I want to remind everyone that we have an Open House at our facility every Tuesday night from 7-10pm. We sell biodiesel (B100) and vegetable oil for 10 cents off retail price, answer questions about everything we do, and show the public how we are transforming Austin’s used cooking oil into biofuels. We often have 10-20 people show up, some with alternative fuel vehicles.

I’d like to thank the many people who we met at the Austin Green Living Show we attended and presented at. There are so many people in Austin interested in helping the environment, it really helps to know that what we are doing is appreciated!

One last note - we are seeking additional restaurant partners to collect oil from for our Fryer to Fuel program. If you own or operate a commercial kitchen, or know anyone who does, please contact us to get started. It’s a free program, and we also pay a finder’s fee. Contact us for more info.

As always, thanks for your support, and we look forward to reducing pollution, lowering our dependence on foreign oil, and helping Austin be the greenest city in Texas.

Jason Burroughs