Biodiesel Bulletin - April 2, 2007

The Biodiesel Bulletin
A Monthly Publication of the National Biodiesel Board

April 2007


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In This Issue:

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Cummins Approves B20 Biodiesel Blends for Engines
NextEnergy Biodiesel Summit Sets Goals for Research
Don’t Get Left Behind on Fuel Quality
National Trucking Company’s Biodiesel Study Shows Positive Results
AFVI National Conf. in Full Swing; Local Public Welcome on Wed.
2007 to be a Bumper Crop Year for Biodiesel Legislation
Earthrace Record Attempt Continues Despite Tragedy
Houston Power Plant First in U.S. to Run on Biodiesel
Biodiesel U: Collegiate Exposure to the Alt Fuel
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Cummins Approves B20 Biodiesel Blends for Engines

Drivers of a wide range of Cummins-engine diesel vehicles will have
added support in using biodiesel blends. Cummins Inc. has announced
approval of the use of a 20% blend of biodiesel (B20) in many of its engines.
The B20 approval is for 2002 and later emissions-compliant ISX, ISM,
ISL, ISC and ISB engines, including recently released 2007 products.

The engines approved for B20 are used to power a variety of vehicles
including medium and heavy duty trucks, motor homes, school buses, fire
and emergency vehicles, and urban buses and shuttles. The announcement
is likely to help Cummins grow its truck engine market share by meeting
consumer demand through B20 support.

Cummins decided to upgrade its previous position on the use of
biodiesel fuel, which limited the recommended use to B5, for three key reasons:
• The American Society of Testing Materials specification ASTM D 6751
now includes an important stability specification for B100 biodiesel.
• The availability of quality fuels from BQ-9000 Certified Marketers
and Accredited Producers is growing rapidly.
• Cummins has completed the necessary testing and evaluations to
ensure that customers can reliably operate their equipment with confidence
using high quality B20 fuel.
Headquartered in Columbus, Ind., Cummins serves customers in more than
160 countries through its network of 550 company-owned and independent
distributor facilities and more than 5,000 dealer locations. See
http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/PR_supporting_docs/20070321_cummins_b20.pdf
for more on this announcement and
http://www.everytime.cummins.com/every/customer/faq_biodiesel.jsp for
warranty coverage information.


NextEnergy Biodiesel Summit Sets Goals for Research

Manufacturers, policy makers, regulators and biodiesel industry
representatives met in March for a Biodiesel Summit to identify and remove
barriers to widespread acceptance of up to B20 biodiesel blends by engine
and vehicle manufacturers. DaimlerChrysler, a sponsor of the B20
Summit, challenged the group to come up with a viable fuel standard for the
B20 finished blend.

"Biodiesel represents a huge opportunity to address some of our
nation’s toughest energy, environmental and economic challenges,” said
Deborah Morrissett, DaimlerChrysler’s VP of Regulatory Affairs. “We
know this is the right thing to do – so the goal now is to develop a
national B20 standard that can be universally applied to all diesel
vehicles, both on road and in production, to confidently support higher
blends of biodiesel such as B20.”

The multi-industry Biodiesel Summit group met at the NextEnergy Center,
Michigan’s alternative and renewable energy business incubator,
located in Detroit’s TechTown district. Participants identified several
other areas that need additional study and funding to bolster full B20
support, including:
• Long-term effects of B20 on emissions control and after-treatment
devices
• Long-term engine durability testing
• Greater fuel quality monitoring efforts to ensure the fuel
standards are being met.

While full B20 support is the goal, several auto and equipment
manufacturers have recognized that the market may not be willing to wait years
for it to happen. DaimlerChrysler was the first auto manufacturer to
approve the use of B20 by government, military and commercial fleet
customers in its 2007 model year Dodge Ram pickup truck. New Holland has
also approved the use of B20 in all of its equipment using New Holland
engines, becoming the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to
announce full formal support for B20 in the engines it produces. Now
Cummins has announced B20 support (see above). All major automakers support
at least B5 in their diesel vehicles. For more, please see
http://nbb.grassroots.com/07Releases/Summit/.


Don’t Get Left Behind on Fuel Quality

As fuel quality takes center stage, companies with the BQ-9000 seal of
approval will have an edge over their competitors. One-day seminars,
held throughout North America, will help companies learn about the
program. “Understanding and Implementing BQ-9000”
(http://www.bq-9000.org/pdf/BQ-9000courseflyer07.pdf) seminars will
provide the fundamentals for implementing BQ-9000 - the voluntary quality
management system for biodiesel producers and marketers.

BQ-9000 couples the foundation of universally accepted quality
management systems with the product specification ASTM D 6751, and has become
the premier quality designation in the industry. These seminars focus
on understanding the details of the requirements, the steps to implement
the requirements, and the most efficient approaches to managing the
registration project. Organizers encourage quality managers, operations
managers, and other management personnel from biodiesel industry
companies and organizations to attend.

The dates are as follows:
April 12-Kansas City, Mo.
May 3 – Charlotte, N.C.
June 14 – Seattle
July 12 – Winnipeg, Manitoba
August 16 – Boston, Mass.
October 18 – Las Vegas
The first two BQ-9000 sessions of the year were held at the National
Biodiesel Conference in February, and in Kansas City in April.

Visit http://www.bq-9000.org or contact Anne Klempke at the NBB office,
800-841-5849 or aklempke [at] biodiesel.org, to register for a course.


National Trucking Company’s Biodiesel Study Shows Positive Results

Dale Decker is a third-generation trucker in the family business, which
started in 1931 with one Model B Ford truck. Since then, the Fort
Dodge, Iowa-based Decker Truck Line has grown to more than 700 trucks and
more than 1,400 trailers, with nine terminals in five states. Dale
Decker found out about biodiesel several years ago. The more he learned,
the more he wanted to try it. Now, Decker Truck Line is not only using
biodiesel, but documenting testing on its use over-the-road fleet use.

Decker Truck Line, Inc. is the first major trucking company to compare
a soy biodiesel B20 blend to regular diesel in a comprehensive
over-the-road test covering two million miles. Announced last fall, the “Two
Million Mile Haul” has covered 350,000 miles towards the goal.
Partners released interim results at the Mid-America Trucking Show two weeks
ago. In addition to Decker, partners in the Two Million Mile Haul
include the Iowa Soybean Association, National Biodiesel Board, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Iowa Central Community College and Renewable
Energy Group.

Decker says so far, so good. He has observed cleaner engine oil
analyses, decreased maintenance and no cold weather issues, even with
temperatures in the single digits. Decker Truck Line is using B20 biodiesel
(20% biodiesel, 80% No. 2 petroleum diesel) in 20 of the company’s
trucks, running from its terminal in Fort Dodge, Iowa to either Chicago or
Minneapolis. All trucks have Caterpillar C13 or C15 engines built to
EPA 2004 and EPA 2007 emissions levels.

Caterpillar is also following the results of the study and conducting
further analysis on the effects of biodiesel. To keep Caterpillar and
other companies and agencies abreast of the progress, Decker Truck Line
and Iowa Central Community College have developed a Web site to show
results: http://www.2millionmilehaul.com. For more details, please visit
http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/pressreleases/fle/20070321_decker.pdf.


AFVI National Conf. in Full Swing; Local Public Welcome on Wed.

The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute
(AFVI)(http://www.afvi.org/nce.html) is currently hosting the 13th
Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference + Expo, running through April 4
in Anaheim, Calif. More than 1250 fleet and industry professionals are
gathering for four days of information and product previews. This
national conference on all alternative fuels, vehicles and advanced
technologies offers one-stop information and product shopping to fleets,
policy-makers, and advocates for clean transportation choices.

Beyond educational sessions and keynote addresses, the expo is held
Monday through Wednesday, with one public day, at the Anaheim Convention
Center, 800 West Katella Avenue, Hall E. On Public Day, held Wednesday,
there is no admission charge and the expo is open from 8:00 a.m. to
noon.

The conference features nationally recognized leaders in the fields of
fuels, emissions, vehicles, policy, foreign relations and climate
change. Iconic oilman T. Boone Pickens is joined by federal level
policymakers including foreign policy strategist and former CIA Chief James
Woolsey; Neel Kashkari, Senior Advisor to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson;
and fifteen-year veteran of the U.S. Congress, Pete McCloskey. Joe
Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), will present at the
conference. Larry Hagman, “Dallas” star and recent National Biodiesel
Conference participant, will sign autographs. California policymakers, and
auto reviewers and analysts Jim Kenzie of the Toronto Star and JD Power
Director of Automotive Emerging Technologies, Mike Marshall, will also
be participating.

The NBB is a sponsor of this event.


2007 to be a Bumper Crop Year for Biodiesel Legislation

States around the country have picked up the pace in addressing
biodiesel policy. Policy makers are considering everything from mandates, to
production incentives, to tax exemptions and credits to encourage the
growth of the industry.

At least 11 states are considering some form of requirement legislation
that would require a certain percentage of diesel sold in a state to be
biodiesel. These states include Florida, Connecticut, Missouri,
California, Oregon, Mississippi, Arkansas, Nebraska, Montana and New Mexico.
Many states are adding language that would increase a B2 blend (two
percent biodiesel) to a B5 level after a designated period.

Oregon’s mandate legislation has a unique twist in that it coincides
with the city of Portland’s biodiesel mandate that passed in 2006 -
that effective July 1 all diesel fuel sold by fuel distributors or
resellers to fuel retailers, nonretail dealers or wholesale
purchaser-consumers, to contain a minimum blend of B5.

Other states have legislation to establish a Task Force, or study
committee, to research mandates; label pumps that dispense biodiesel; exempt
the state’s diesel tax for the portion of biodiesel in the blend
(Connecticut and Tennessee); encourage biodiesel use and production through
a variety of tax incentives and grants and loans. For example, Florida
Governor Charlie Crist asked the state legislature for $68 million in
funding incentives for Florida-based biodiesel and ethanol projects.

California is also considering a series of bills introduced by Sen.
Dean Florez (D-Shafter). Among other things, the proposals would define
biodiesel as a fuel, not an additive, and require meeting ASTM D 6751;
mandate the use of biodiesel in state-owned diesel-powered vehicles;
require the use of biodiesel fuel in school buses throughout the state;
create a tax credit to stimulate the production of biodiesel in
California; exempt biodiesel fuels from state sales and excise taxes; and
establish the California Biodiesel Investment Account, which would offer
incentives such as grant money to build fueling stations, grow feedstock
crops and develop new biodiesel technologies.

It is likely that many of these proposals will become law in some form
by the end of this year. The year 2007 promises to be yet another
active one for the biodiesel industry. For more details on state
legislation, please visit http://www.biodiesel.org/links/20070402.pdf.


Earthrace Record Attempt Continues Despite Tragedy

Earthrace captain Pete Bethune and his crew were allowed to leave
Guatemala in late March after a fatal collision involving their
biodiesel-powered vessel and a fishing boat Mar. 18. Earthrace is a wave-piercing
boat in a bid to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe.
After a year-long promotional tour with the boat, the crew started the
record attempt Mar. 10.

The crew was detained for 10 days after the incident which left a local
fisherman missing and presumed dead and another seriously injured. The
New Zealander Bethune, and crew, told officials the fishing boat did
not appear on radar and did not have the appropriate lights.

During this time, Bethune was detained at a military base in Puerto
Quetzal, and it was only after the intervention of the Guatemalan
President, Oscar Berger, that the country allowed Bethune’s trial.

A judge in Guatemala has ruled it was an accident. Bethune has told the
widow of the fisherman killed in the accident they would put his name
on the boat, in memory of him. Bethune and crew feel they helped the
injured man survive by administering saline solution intravenously until
they reached the hospital.

Bethune and his crew left Guatemala on Mar. 28. Before they left,
repairs had to be made to the propellers. This second set of props was
damaged in the tragic accident. The first set suffered unpredictable wear
and tear and had to be replaced, slowing the boat in the first leg,
between Barbados and Panama.

The team feels they have an extremely difficult challenge to get the
record now, due to the amount of time they lost in Guatemala, but that
they will do their best, according to an Earthrace press release. The
Discovery Channel Web site (http://www.discovery.com) has been reporting news on
the endeavor, and has posted numerous background videos. According to
earthrace.net, Earthrace is in San Diego today; the Web site also shows
ways that you can support the ongoing bid attempt.


Houston Power Plant First in U.S. to Run on Biodiesel

Biofuels Power Corp. has begun producing and selling electricity into
the ERCOT Power Grid from its biodiesel-powered generating plant in Oak
Ridge North, Texas. The Oak Ridge North facility is the first power
plant in the country to run entirely on biodiesel, according to Biofuels
Power Corp. Biofuels Power plans to build a series of biodiesel-powered
electric generating plants to serve residential and industrial
customers in the Houston Metropolitan area.

The Oak Ridge North facility has a capacity of up to 5 Megawatts and
uses three diesel powered Caterpillar generators that run exclusively on
biodiesel fuel produced by the Safe Renewables Corp. refinery located
within two miles of the power plant. Currently supplying biodiesel fuel
to meet power generation and transportation needs, SRC produces
biodiesel from renewable sources including soy, cottonseed, canola oil and
animal fats.

Biofuels Power company officials say it is now constructing a larger
turbine-based biodiesel power plant at the Safe Renewables' refinery
site. The second facility is expected to deliver over 10 Megawatts into the
Entergy power grid that delivers electricity to customers in East Texas
and Louisiana. Company officials say renewable power projects such as
these can ultimately provide "islands of power," protecting areas from
blackouts.


Biodiesel U: Collegiate Exposure to the Alt Fuel

College students are seen as the future, and increasingly they are
having opportunities to learn about, even profit from, a fuel that is seen
as one necessary for our future energy needs. From music tours that hit
college towns, to a unique scholarship program, biodiesel may become
the big fuel on campus.

Guster (http://www.guster.com) an independent pop/rock band popular with U.S.
students, hit the road last week on its second annual Campus
Consciousness Tour (http://www.CampusConsciousness.org), which shows students more than
just the band’s act. The Campus Consciousness Tour educates on ways
to live in a more eco-friendly way, and its biodiesel blend use is
testament to that. Its three buses and one truck run on B20, a blend of 20
percent biodiesel and 80 percent regular diesel fuel.

In this cause, Guster is joined by Reverb, http://www.ReverbRock.org, a
nonprofit organization founded by Guster guitarist-vocalist Adam Gardner and
his wife Lauren Sullivan. Reverb works with other musical tours to
offset their impact on the environment.

Minnesota may be a state known for biodiesel because of its 2 percent
requirement and its many BQ-9000 accredited production facilities. In
the educational community, though, the fuel is being brought to light
through a scholarship program available to high school seniors. The new
Clean Air Choice ™ scholarships, through the American Lung Association
of Minnesota and the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association is meant to
help raise awareness of biodiesel. A first place, $500 scholarship, and
a second place, $250 scholarship, will be awarded.

All entries, focusing on benefits, opportunities and impacts of the
fuel’s growth, must be submitted by 4:30 p.m., April 30, to the American
Lung Association of Minnesota. Essays must be 1,000 words or less in
length. Online entries are preferred; to submit an entry or for more
information, see http://www.cleanairchoice.org/.




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Upcoming Events

Brazil Bio-Energy Tour
Renk Agribusiness Institute
March 31-April 10, 2007
Brazil – various cities
http://www.aae.wisc.edu/renk

National Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Conference
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AFVI)
April 1-4, 2007
Anaheim, CA
http://www.afvi.org

Ethanol & Biodiesel Management
OPIS
Chicago
April 11-13, 2007
http://www.opisnet.com/ethbiomgmt/index.html

Clean Moves Expo
April 16-20, 2007
Hannover Fair, Germany
http://www.cleanmoves.com

Biofuel Summit, European Summit for Bio Fuel Industry
April 17 – 18
Madrid
Palacio de Congresos
http://www.biofuelsummit.es

Bioenergy Business 2007
German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest
April 25
Chicago
http://www.gaccom.org/consulting/bioenergybusiness.html

RENEXPO INDIA at the 2nd South-Asia Renewable Energy Conference
April 25- 26, 2007
New Dehli, Hotel Le Meridian
http://www.renexpo-india.com

AOCS Short Courses at the 98th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo
May 11-17
Québec City, QC, Canada
http://Annual_Mtg.aocs.org

Biofuels Markets Asia
Orchard Hotel, Singapore
June 12-13
http://www.greenpowerconferences.com

NBB Board Meeting
June 18-20
Washington, D.C.

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Contact Us
For more information on biodiesel visit our website at
http://www.biodiesel.org or contact us at 888-BIODIESEL.

Amber Pearson, Communications Specialist
Email: apearson [at] biodiesel.org

Bev Thessen, Information Coordinator
Email: bthessen [at] biodiesel.org

This bulletin is also available in PDF format online at
http://www.biodiesel.org/news/bulletin/
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