Biodiesel - A Fuel For the Future

Biodiesel is a safe alternative fuel to replace traditional petroleum diesel. It has high-lubricity, is clean-burning fuel and can be a fuel component for use in existing, unmodified diesel engines. This means that no retrofits are necessary when using biodiesel fuel in any diesel powered combustion engine. It is the only alternative fuel that offers such convenience. Biodiesel acts like petroleum diesel, but produces less air pollution, comes from renewable sources, is biodegradable and is safter for the environment. Producing biodiesel fuels can help create local economic revitalization and local environmental benefits. Many groups interested in promoting the use of biodiesel already exist at the local, state and national level.

Biodiesel is designed for complete compatibility with petroleum diesel and can be blended in any ratio, from additive levels to 100 percent biodiesel. In the United States today, biodiesel is typically produced from soybean or rapeseed oil or can be reprocessed from waste cooking oils or animal fats such as waste fish oil. Because it is made of these easily obtainable plant based materials, it is a completely renewable fuel source.

Short Term Goals	Long Term Goals
The short term purpose of the Work Group is to increase demand and availablitiy of locally-produced biodiesel through aggregated government purchase and use.	The longer-term goal is to have this short-term action lead to the development of a funcitonal biodiesel industry in the Pacific Northwest

	Any diesel vehicles can be powered by biodiesel from 10% to 100% blend with regular petroleum diesel. Performance is usually not affected.		Biodiesel is use could preserve the air quality by decreasing harmful particulate matter emissions released by regular petroleum based diesel
-
	Farmers can save money by manufacturing biodiesel on-site to use in their tractor engines.		Fleet vehicles have been joining the biodiesel movement. In Yellowstone National Park the entire bus feet is run on biodiesel blend engines.

Links
The USEPA alternative fuels biodiesel page

Many of these links are connected to sites not on the EPA web. Please note the disclaimer for all sites not related directly to EPA activities.
The US Biodiesel Board
BiodieselNOW
University of Washington Biodiesel Project
University of Idaho Biodiesel Project
Puget Sount Clean Cities