"Best of Times; Worst of Times" for Biodiesel Industry

Jeff Pieterick, President, WBA
from Wisconsin Biodiesel Association Newsletter
December 20, 2007
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"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity..."
- Charles Dickens “A Tale of Two Cities”

Dickens’ assessment of the times leading to the French Revolution resonate still as the world confronts climate change and our need for renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. Foolishness and incredulity remain a concern, particularly when confronting those who insist that our present rates of energy consumption and carbon emissions are sustainable.

There is a great deal of activity in renewable energy and conservation that is nevertheless encouraging. In only one example, the Bali Summit offered a forum for world governments to effectively come together in tackling the important policy and investment decisions required to minimize our carbon emissions and gain energy independence.

In the spirit of the season, let’s look at other positive developments in the renewable energy arena that have gained momentum in 2007 sufficient to advance this effort into the New Year and beyond.

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OEI 2008 WI Energy Report sets Roadmap for Achieving "25 X 25"

Click on the graphic above to download the Executive Summary and report highlights.

The complete 2007 Wisconsin Energy Statistics report from the

Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence is available here

2008 RFS Needs to "Top Off the Tank"

Jeff Pieterick, President, WBA

from Wisconsin Biodiesel Association Newsletter

December 03, 2007

Click here to signup to receive the Wisconsin Biodiesel Association Newsletter

"Is it just me, or did the policymakers writing the federal 2008 Renewable Fuel Standards simply run out of gas?"

How else to explain the short-sighted thinking behind this newly released "Renewable (Gasoline) Standard?"

In a recent address, Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) tells us that our nation's security does itself depend upon expanding "our supply of energy sources that can substitute for oil." Why would we then limit our renewable fuel effort to simply adding alcohol to gasoline?

A truly effective RFS would include a fuel-neutral, low-carbon emphasis that would encourage development of the most efficient renewable alternatives that can provide maximum benefit. For now, however, the least we can expect is to properly define transportation fuels to gain a proper baseline from which to start - and diesel fuel needs to be in the policy mix.

Read the entire op/ed article here