California regulators have passed some new rules that will ban storing some types of biodiesel underground. The fear is the new rule will hamper the fledgling green industry.

“…gas stations, fleet yards and others who distribute the increasingly popular ‘green’ fuel can only store biodiesel blends of up to 20 percent in underground tanks, even if the tanks are double-walled.”

The tanks need to be tested for leaks and the test is expected to take 2-3 years. Biodiesel advocates say it will reduce sales across the Golden State.

“This is stupid. It’s a step backwards,” said CB, who runs a Tree Service in San Jose. “It’s like they are picking on us. We are trying to do the right thing.”

Translated means – let’s test the dickens out of the non green industry folk but give us a free pass.

These rules grew out of several pollution disasters that California has experienced over the past 30 years. Higher concentrations of biodiesel have some solvent properties and have not yet been approved by Underwriters Laboratories.

Sounds reasonable to me, unless of course, you think we are walking backwards.

Image by David Reverchon

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Although biofuels help fight gobal warming by potentially helping us to respond to the challenges we face, it’s true that there are drawbacks associated with them. Like threatens for food prices to drive up in poor countries or negative effects on soil protection and bio-diversity. However, we’re pretty sure these are not the reasons why Muslims may prohibit use of biofuels.

Image courtesy of octal

Looking like a pretext for you and me, the Muslim culture forbids alcohol buying, selling, transporting and drinking. And according to Sheikh Mohamed al-Najimi of the Saudi Islamic Jurisprudence Academy, that includes the ethyl alcohol present in ethanol or any alcohol-derived fuels.

Therefore we can only wonder why luxury car makers are considering the green path if the rich oilmen of the desert won’t be able to fill the tank.

Do you think prophet Muhammad would be against biofuels knowing they could help reduce global warming, even by a bit? Would that be a sin? There are always camels … No?

The dude who helped co-draft China’s national energy strategy, Song Yanqin, participated at Asia Clean Energy Forum 2008 and said that “food security comes first in China, more important than fuel”. He went on to explain that China has no plan to sacrifice food for fuel. Biofuels can find another source, dang it. China is hungry. We want to eat first, then think about energy sources and all that.

The debate is indeed far from over as to the effects of using maize, palm oil, sugarcane and jatropha to produce biofuels or what the effect would be on food prices.

One U.S. designer of high-tech alcohol plants said that “food versus fuel is 99-percent noise. Do your homework and get a noise filter. Time magazine is not your key reference document”. Does that mean that main stream media is not the authority on this topic? What about us bloggers?

In any event, China plans to have dinner, then think about it.

What’s your stance on the biofuel vs food price increase issue?

Image by stelzert

by aslaugsvava
If last month Virgin Atlantic tested a Boeing 747 running with 80 percent normal fuel mixed with 20 percent biofuel, but Continental Airlines wants their own piece of the pie.The company  partnered with Boeing and GE Aviation to demonstrate in the first half of the next year (2009)  an aircraft running on bio-fuels. From what I understand it’s going to be bio-fuel only and if the test will be successful Continental Airlines will be the first major US carrier to use biofuels on flights.

“Exploring sustainable biofuels is a logical and exciting new step in our environmental commitment” said Mark Moran, vice president of operations at Continental Airlines.

I/we all hope these are not just test meant to increase their popularity among people that care about the environment. – via – BusinessGreen