Interesting. I didn't even know there was a biodiesel plant in this area.

Several thoughts:

Since Columbia Bioenergy is an online customer, it makes perfect sense for EGW to make a concerted effort to use the product. There should be no performance drawbacks, at least during warm weather operations. Winter might be a different story. And since the product itself is more expensive than petroleum diesel (and much more expensive than CTL if one of those comes on line in this region), eventually the bottom line will decide long term use for EGW.

Then there's this line - "Recent studies have shown that while biofuels may reduce emissions compared with conventional fuels, their cultivation and production make them a larger overall contributor to global warming" - followed by this line - "He and Howell emphasized that the use of biodiesel will reduce the train's greenhouse-gas emissions." So, biodiesel increases GHG's, but it also reduces GHG's? Hmmmmmm...... Actually, they're both wrong since the notion of man made global warming has been blown to smithereens by reality based science, but I digress.....

Besides, use of biodiesel does increase NOX emissions compared to petroleum diesel.

What went unmentioned in the article is that the price farmers are getting for wheat means they are more likely to plant grains rather than oilseed crops. That's what killed off a plan for a biodiesel plant down in the LC valley - the promoters couldn't get enough commitments from area farmers to grow oilseeds over grains and pulses.

My advice to David Doeringsfeld (port manager at the Port of Lewiston), Joe Porie (port manager at the Port of Whitman County) and all the other EDC folks out there looking to increase the number of family wage jobs in this area while concurrently addressing the high cost of fuel for farmers is to go out and recruit a CTL enterprise, make $2.50 a gallon synthetic diesel fuel from coal (brought in by rail of course) and do our area farmers a REAL favor!

Enough with this biofuel nonsense!