Montana Legislature

Biodiesel Bill Still Trucking

By Dan Testa, 3-26-07

At this stage of the legislature, any bill still alive has already undergone a number of hearings.

So at those hearings for bills which cast conservation groups on one side, and the extractive resource industries on another, speakers can now anticipate the opposition’s arguments. They knowingly shake their heads or roll their eyes or smile in exasperation as familiar talking points are rattled off.

Such was the case Monday as representatives of Montana’s petroleum, trucking and gas station industries lined up to oppose a bill mandating that diesel fuel contain a portion of biodiesel.

Introducing his bill to the House Transportation Committee, Sen. John Brueggeman, R-Polson, made clear his motivations were not purely environmental.

“Make no mistake,” he said. “It’s not like I’ve taken Al Gore as my lord and savior.”

“Energy is the key to sustaining our economy,” he added.

Brueggeman’s bill, modeled after a similar program in Minnesota, would require diesel fuel in Montana to contain 2 percent biodiesel when the state’s producers reach that capacity. When producers create enough for 3 percent biodiesel, that standard would kick-in, all the way up to 5 percent.

Anyone selling diesel that doesn’t contain that standard of biodiesel would be subject to a maximum fine of $500.

New federal standards have reduced the sulfur content in diesel fuel, wreaking havoc on older engines, Brueggeman said, because sulfur acts as a lubricant.

“Why would we not be choosing to use America’s agriculture industry to provide the necessary lubrication and emission goal we want to meet by using biodiesel?” Brueggeman said. “It’s time, I think, that we step up and work as Montanans to create that industry here.”

Farmers, conservation groups and aspiring biodiesel producers lined up to support the bill, saying it would boost economies in Montana’s struggling, rural areas.

“We produce grain that is shipped, at great expense, out-of-state and into the export market without capturing our fair share of its value,” said McCone County farmer Helen Waller. “The bill will help create a stable market for a diversity of crops that can be successfully grown in Montana.”

“A single biodiesel plant in northeast Montana could create 31 permanent jobs in the plant site alone,” Waller added. “Just imagine what one of these plants could do for Circle or Sidney or Glendive.”

But the opposition argued that biodiesel clogs engines in cold weather, setting up the pipeline infrastructure for distribution is too costly, and the bill sets up a mandate for the fuel in place of market-demand.

Dan Rice, vice president of Transystems Truck Company, said he had problems with his rigs that fueled up in Minnesota, where biodiesel is mandated.

“It’s a great product in the fall, it’s a great product in the spring, and it’s an unmitigated disaster in the winter,” Rice said. “Trucks fueled in Minnesota required a fuel filter within one day.”

Ronna Alexander, spokeswoman for the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, said biodiesel quality standards are difficult to enforce and gas stations would have to build facilities to store biodiesel underground to keep it warm.

“Our single biggest concern is quality control,” Alexander said. “We like biodiesel, we think it has a good future, but it is probably not ready for prime time yet.”

Closing, Brueggeman urged the committee to take action in an area where the federal government is failing to lead.

“Montana doesn’t have a big significant impact nationwide, but we are another state towards that march of states that are adopting biodiesel,” Brueggeman said. “We have to change. I submit the time is now.”

The bill has already passed the Senate. If it passes committee, it goes to the House floor for a vote. 

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.