BioDieselNow - Renewable biodiesel fuel

Hi all,

Well, the USA Gasoline on E. Thompson has run itself out of B99.  Pity - they had a great price ($3.50).  

Now I read on the SoCal Biodiesel list in Yahoo! Groups that they (and probably Santa Monica location) are switching from B99 to B5?*  Wot a disappointment and a huge step backwards...  Coming from Seattle, I am really discouraged at the slow adoption of BD for the general public down here (co-op's aside).  I remember that Kent Bullard's premise to forming a coop (part of the mission stmt, I think) is to put themselves out of business (because demand would drive retail adoption). 
Well Kent, looks like yer still in business for a while longer...  

It is so hard to do the right thing down here (use Biodiesel).   >sigh<   
Would anyone be interested in starting up a co-op in the Santa Clarita area? 

Contact me pls at davidw_nw@yahoo.com, if you are serious.

-kDavid 

*just learned it's a weights & measures technical issue.  Socalbug.org founder is working on this.  Let us know how we can help, Kent! 

Hiya Kdavid,

I just read your post, and wanted to pass along some more info on this.  My wife, and I live in Corona, Ca.  We travel up to Lompoc, and Solvang every 1-2 months to spend the weekend with friends.  I have a 2005 Passat TDI, the wife has a 2006 Jetta TDI.  For as long as I can remember, we would stop in Ventura at the USA station, and top off with B99.  We took a trip in November I believe, and they were still selling B99...when we went again in January they had switched to B5.

I was shocked, and pretty pissed off to tell you the truth.  I walked up to the office to find out what happened, no one there. But...there was a tanker truck filling up the station tanks.  So I walked over, and started talking to the driver.  He told me:

"Be thankful you can get B5, and that this station is even still here...big oil tried to buy the USA stations selling BioDiesel in California I think he said there were 5 total), and then level them to the ground!  He said we could thank Barbara Boxer for stopping them.  But any who, some other (probably big oil anyway) company bought the stations, and decided to switch to B5."

So the wife and I figure they will sell the B5 for another 6 months....pretending they care, and since there are probably a lot of people like myself...I won't buy anything but B99/B100.  They will be able to show that sales have dropped, and they will cut off the flow of BioDiesel for good.

So we are still buying B99 from the Conserv fuel in Brentwood...we bought some two weeks ago at the outrageous price of $4.35 gallon.

But I just need to start making it again myself in the backyard.  I can make it for $2.25-2.50 gallon....prices for retail BioDiesel, and even petrol Diesel are just getting stupid ridiculous high!

Any who, just thought I would pass that tidbit along... it seems big oil is doing everything they can to stop BioDiesel a flowing in California :-(

Wishing everyone the best :-)