Normally, this food choice is an option you have for anentree when attending a banquet or a wedding. In the near future, however, yourdrivers may soon have the same options when selecting diesel fuel.
This might be stretching the truth somewhat – well, actuallystretching it a great deal. There is some truth to it, however.
ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods Inc. recently announced a“strategic alliance … to produce and market the next generation of renewablediesel fuel, which will help supplement the traditional petroleum-based dieselfuel supply. The alliance plans to use beef, pork and poultry by-product fat tocreate a transportation fuel.”
The goal is to produce 175 million gallons by 2009, which Ifind a very interesting projection. That amount is about 3 percent of thediesel fuel ConocoPhillips makes per year, but it would represent an increasein total biodiesel output in the United States by 70 percent, according to thecompany.
All is not roses for the two companies, however, since thereis an ongoing debate over tax credits that the IRS has allowed and how thecredits will affect other biodiesel endeavors. If you wish to learn more aboutthis issue, go to the official site of the National Biodiesel Board atwww.biodiesel.org.
I find it very encouraging that there are two major playerswithin the corporate world that have made a decision to do something about ourdependency on foreign oil.
From hybrids to biodiesel, our industry is actively workingon future sources of energy, which we will need in order to make this country’seconomy even stronger.
Okay, I know what you’re thinking, and yes, there are bumpsalong the way – like fuel qualitystandards and the ramifications of using food products, such as corn to produceenergy products. But those are hurdles we should be able to clear. The pointis, I think, that we are making reasonable efforts to do something about fuelalternatives rather than just throwing words or ill-spent money at the growingproblem of energy resources.
So…what do you want in your next tank of fuel?
Bob Dorn,
Publisher
