Biodiesel is one of the most intriguing of those new possibilities...crops of soybeans and rapeseed and maybe even algae, grown by present day farmers, processed into a diesel fuel substitute that works just fine in modern Volkswagons and Mack trucks and school buses--even in the oil-burning furnace down in the basement. It is potentially a truely sweet solution, offering a new market for hard-pressed local farmers even as it begins to help solve some of our most pressing environmental problems. Greg Pahl's book...manages to raise the right questions (and raise them early enough) so that we can perhaps build a structure for this developing industry that serves local farmers and processors instead of simply corporate agribusiness giants.

--Bill McKibben in the Forward to Greg Pahl's Biodiesel

Biodiesel has been getting a bad name because of the potential for competition with food production. It has always struck me that some of the loudest voices criticizing biodiesel has come from the oil, coal and nuke lobbies. But it did seem like competition with food production may be a critical problem with biodiesel.

Not too long ago I highlighted some ideas I had regarding the role of biofuels in a sane American energy plan that could wean us off oil. Biofuels are controversial and are a minefield of problems. But, there are definitely very sane, smart and viable biofuel options that need to be considered as part of America's energy policy. The diary I mention above discusses several options I think need consideration.

I have been thinking about biofuels recently. I think it has been on my mind thanks to a recent car rental experience Joy and I had in California, and thanks to a proposal my City Councilman is making that would over time require all heating oil in New York City to eventually be B20 biodiesel.

Biofuels are in one way the easiest alternative to oil-based fuels for transportation and heating purposes. This is because, depending on the biofuel, it requires the least change in our infrastructure and the manufacturing process of our cars and heating systems. For example, up to B20 biodiesel, any diesel car or boiler system can run on a biodiesel/traditional mix with no modification. The modifications to use B100 biodiesel are relatively minor and could be incorporated over time. My understanding is that ethanol based fuels also can be used in mixtures with traditional fuels with no modification, and only minor modifications are needed for pure biofuel. So, in terms of conversion to a new fuel, biofuels are the easiest compared with, for example, electric or hydrogen cars.