|
Biodiesel Quality Summit
a “Quality Event”
 PEWAUKEE, WISCONSIN November 20, 2007 – Nearly 100 people were in attendance at The Wisconsin Summit on Biodiesel Quality that was convened in Pewaukee on Monday, November 19th. The event was hosted by Wisconsin Clean Cities - Southeast Area as an effort to establish effective quality assurance policies and procedures for the Wisconsin biodiesel consumer market. (see Wisconsin Clean Cities press release)
Judy Ziewacz, Director of the state's Office of Energy Independence (OEI), presented a brief overview of Wisconsin's Biodiesel Industry. The primary focus of her remarks was set upon the importance of creating sound government policy and procedures that will best assure the quality of the biodiesel product made available to consumers. Other speakers and participants throughout the day reinforced the need for government oversight to ensure product quality while offering specific examples of how this is accomplished elsewhere throughout the industry.
Ziewacz expressed an enthusiastic interest in cooperating with all stakeholders present at the summit to help arrive at a comprehensive policy and testing program that will brand Wisconsin biodiesel as a premium product. Sheldon Schall from the Dept. of Commerce, Judy Cardin from WI DATCP Dept. of Weights & Measures, and Gena Cooper from OEI were among the state government biofuels experts who were on hand throughout the day to share their experience in attempting to formulate an effective biodiesel QA/QC program.
Nationally renowned biodiesel quality expert Hoon Ge presented an overview of the ASTM testing standards that have been implemented for biodiesel and biodiesel blends. Ge is a biodiesel quality consultant for the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), and shared with the summit participants the tremendous amount of work that NBB has committed at the national level in adopting consistent and effective standards nationwide. BQ-9000 Certification was also explained as a voluntary quality assurance program for producers and marketers that further enhance the effort to instill consumer confidence in the biodiesel product.
As both a BQ-9000 Certified producer and marketer of biodiesel, Chuck Neece from FUMPA Biofuels in Minnesota offered a glimpse into how a solid QA/QC program works. Using The Minnesota Experience as a backdrop, Neece recounted how an aggressive pursuit of quality assurance helped overcome initial skepticism among biodiesel consumers created by an unfortunate confluence of biodiesel and Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) being introduced simultaneously into the Minnesota market. Neece also shared his perspective on the need to gain economies of scale in production facilities to support adequate ASTM and BQ-9000 testing protocols. According to Neece, plants smaller than 5 million gallons per year production capacity could benefit from and probably require state support that would perhaps provide a subsidized central lab for performing the many tests required to ensure the quality of biodiesel being produced for the commercial market.
Mark Fitz, Operations Manager and Minority Owner of StarOil (Portland, OR) gave a luncheon presentation to share his experience in developing markets for biodiesel in the Portland, Oregon market. Mark has actively promoted biodiesel as a premium product within the environmental community and has specifically targeted biodiesel enthusiasts as his primary customers. Fitz pointed to biofuels cooperatives such as Prairie Fire Biofuels Co-op (Madison) and the Milwaukee Biodiesel Co-op as important industry allies, not only for the direct market they provide but for the enthusiastic education and outreach they and their customers perform in promoting the product.
The Wisconsin Biodiesel Quality Summit proved to be a "Quality Event." The leadership provided by the state agencies in seeking to establish sound biodiesel quality policies and procedures was clearly outlined. There was also a refreshing variety of stakeholders on hand to share their perspectives, including biodiesel producers big and small, fuel distributors and oil industry reps, and other biofuels enthusiasts. All present expressed interest in cooperating to arrive at policies and procedures that mirror the efforts already undertaking by NBB and others at the national level while examining specific options that will best support Wisconsin's biodiesel industry.
WBA looks forward to working closely with OEI and the other state agencies to arrive at final recommendations based upon the findings of the Wisconsin Summit on Biodiesel Quality. The WBA Task Force on Biodiesel Quality Assurance / Quality Control will issue its final report in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, please contact WBA if you wish to participate in this most important effort to establish standards and policies that will promote this industry and the market it serves.
More information on biodiesel and on the Wisconsin Biodiesel Association can be accessed via the web at www.wibiodiesel.org.
Wisconsin Clean Cities-Southeast Area formed in 1994 as a voluntary, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting cleaner air and energy security through developing alternative fuels and related strategies. One of the early programs designated by the U.S. Department of Energy, WCC-SEA statewide scope focuses on the southeastern Wisconsin severe ozone non-attainment region. The organization convenes stakeholders to provide forums to leverage resources, develop joint projects, collaborate on public policy issues and promote alternative fuel vehicles, fuel blends, idle reduction, hybrids and fuel economy. For more information, please visit www.wicleancities.org.
Return to Wisconsin Biodiesel Report
|
