By MIMI GUNDERSON
News Intern
July 4, 2007

The grease from French fries might not be good for your heart or arteries — but it is great for the environment.

Biodiesel, produced from recycled cooking oils, is a cleaner fuel than petroleum-based gasoline because it reduces carbon dioxide emissions. During the past several years, local interest in biodiesel has grown — especially as gas prices have climbed to record-breaking levels.

Although biodiesel was once much more expensive than gas, the price gap is closing. And the Internal Revenue Service is offering tax breaks for consumer use.

“It’s the right thing to do, why buy foreign oil (when fuel can be) grown here?” said Jerry Tausend, a longtime local biodiesel advocate.

He said biodiesel offers these advantages:

Biodiesel is less toxic than one tablespoon of salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar.

n Biodiesel also helps keep engines running cleaner and smoother — increasing their life expectancy.

n Most diesel engines readily adapt to biodiesel use. Almost any diesel-powered vehicle built since 1990 needs no conversion at all.

To meet the growing demand, more fuel suppliers than ever are making biodiesel deliveries to agricultural communities such as the Hood River Valley.

On the local front, Hood River Supply on Tucker Road in Hood River offers B5 (along with gasoline made with ethanol) and B99 (almost pure biodiesel) for farmers to use to create their own mixtures, according to general manager Pat McAllister.

“We have many customers who are interested in green products,” McAllister said. “We’re happy to be able to provide some choices.”

Clem’s Market in Odell sells B20 (a mixture of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel) and Carson Oil sells B50 (fifty percent of each blend) and B99.

The Shell station at Hood River Marketplace recently began selling B20 diesel.

Tausend said many area farmers have been using biodiesel for years to run tractors and other pieces of heavy machinery.

Their credo is that American farmers should be supporting other American farmers. And that using biodiesel helps protect national security by reducing the dependency of the United States on foreign fossil fuels.

Hood River Valley High School students are also looking toward a “greener” future that involves biodiesel use. The Earth Club has brewed its very own batch of the fuel. And teenagers are urging school administrators to have buses powered by biodiesel. They would also like to see power companies do more to promote renewable energy options — such as biomass, wind, and solar power.

Biodiesel users and producers see it as a “win-win” alternative to the nation’s growing demand for energy. Although prices for biodiesel still tend to be slightly higher than regular diesel, supporters believe the trade-off in clean air is worth the extra cost.

While biodiesel once cost about $1 more per gallon than regular diesel, the difference is now down in many areas to less than 50 cents. And the cost for biodiesel is offset by tax credits. The IRS allows purchases of the alternative fuel to be written off in the form of credits.

Farmers can claim $1 per gallon for using biodiesel and non-agricultural users are given 50 cents for every gallon purchased.