Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Virginia biodiesel truck stop





This is a little off topic of my normal posts here, but I feel it worth mentioning anyway.

A local store and truck stop in Henry county Virginia is manufacturing and selling it's own biodiesel at the pumps. Vehicles that run on diesel can use this fuel with no modification and the cost is claimed to be around .50 a gallon cheaper to buy, than conventional diesel. It also burns cleaner with lower emmissions than with regular diesel.

The company forms contracts with local farmers to grow canola on their unused fields in the winter. When the canola is crushed for refinery it produces a byproduct of meal which is used to feed farm animals. It is a win win for everyone.

My question is this. If a relatively small operation such as this can manufacture and sell biodiesel for .50 a gallon cheaper than conventional diesel, help relieve our dependence on foreign oil, and help the environment to boot, what have we been waiting for?