26 December, 2006
Reported by www.smellslikefrenchfries.com
Staff reporter
Texas is currently the second largest producer of BioDiesel in the United States, but some in the state government want to ban its sale in the State.
Biodiesel advocate Willie Nelson has expressed concern that the state might actually shut down sales of biodiesel over concerns about certain types of emissions.
But industry officials say the renewable fuel meets all state and federal standards – and they expect to prove that to state environmental authorities.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality met Friday, Dec. 8, to continue the ongoing discussion about whether nitrogen oxide emissions are increased or decreased with biodiesel and its additives.
The commission enacted the Texas Low Emission Diesel standards in 2005 to reduce pollution in 110 counties along and east of Interstate 35. Those counties include the metro areas of Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, as populations and traffic continue to grow.
The three-member environmental commission, appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, reached a consensus Friday to extend a previously issued deadline of Dec. 31, 2006, by one year for the biodiesel industry to show its proof of nitrogen oxide emissions reduction.
Commission Chairwoman Kathleen Harnett White and Commissioner Larry Soward agreed that the commission should extend the deadline to Dec. 31, 2007. A formal vote will take place Jan. 10, 2007, for that recommendation to take effect.
Meanwhile, around the state, BioDiesel makers aren't slowing down as they continue to increase the production of BioDiesel in Texas. Houston's GeoGreen Fuels says this is only the beginning. In the next three years, the company plans to build as many as 10 biodiesel plants across Texas, making fuel from cotton seed to animal fat.
The National Biodiesel Board said in September that 78 companies are either building or expanding biodiesel factories across the nation and Texas is one the states leading the charge. One Texas plant alone, Galveston Bay Biodiesel's facility in Galveston, Texas, will produce up to 100 million gallons a year of biodiesel, boosting U.S. biodiesel output by 54%.