| Putting
your environmental bucks into your truck
by
Tara Nelson
In July of 2003, the Deming QuickStop on Mt. Baker Hwy,
was one of the first gas stations in Washington State and
the first in Whatcom County to sell biodiesel, an alternative
to petroleum-based fuels,made from vegetable oil or animal
fat. Chuck Gabl, owner of the station, said he decided
to sell the liquid gold after he overheard his regular
dealers talking about it. “I happened to have a spare
underground tank and had overheard modelers talking about
it and it just clicked,” he said. “I figured
I had a tank and why not start it here.” Gabl said
he buys his biodiesel from Whole Energy in Ferndale, the
first company in Washington state to produce the fuel.
Before
Whole Energy opened earlier this year, suppliers bought
biodiesel mainly from mid-western producers. Gabl thinks
recent spikes in the prices of all forms of petroleum
products have made biodiesel amore economical option. “Normally,
it’s about 20 percent higher than regular diesel
but right now it’s about the same,” he said,adding
the price per gallon of B-20,meaning a blend of 20 percent
biodiesel and 80 percent regular diesel is selling at about
$2.99 as of September 19.
Nationwide,
the amount of biodiesel produced has increased from 500,000
gallons in 1999 to 25,000,000 in 2004, according to the
National Biodiesel Board, a national trade association
representing the biodiesel industry. According to a 1998
Biodiesel Lifecycle study, jointly sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
the B-20 blend has the potential for significant reductions
in environmental harm as a result of emissions, yet with
a minimal cost to distributors.
Either
way, Gabl said customer demand is increasing quickly,although
it changes day-to-day,inversely to the cost of regular
diesel. “I probably have 50
to 100 customers who regularly come in and buy biodiesel
and more and more all the time,” he said. “Especially
now when the price is the same, but that’s only temporary.” If
demand continues to rise, however, Gabl said he is looking
at buying a $10,000 dispenser that will allow customers
the option of either pure biodiesel, or a blend of the
two. “At some point, I’ll do it,” he
said. “At some point, all gas stations will sell
biodiesel.” The Deming Quick Stop is located
at 4895 Mt. Baker Highway. They can be reached at 360/592-5633 |
ARCHIVES
