The developers of what will be the biggest biodiesel plant in the U.S. have offered to give $5 million to renovate the neighborhood located near the plant.
Smiling Earth Energy has offered the money to help the Chesapeake, Virginia neighborhood of South Hill, which has been cut off from the rest of the city since Interstate 464 bisected the area in 1987. This story in the Virginian-Pilot says the offer is impressing city leaders still deciding the whether to give the project to build a 320-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant the green light:
Smiling Earth promised to limit traffic at the plant to three trucks a day, although it hasn’t conducted a traffic study. The company also promised to set up a citizens advisory committee.
But the offer of as much as $5 million, which came the day of the vote, resonated with council members on a whole new level. Councilwoman Ella Ward called it “exciting.”
The council decided to wait until October to vote on the plan, but Hayes thinks at least five council members support the project. Three members who have voiced support – Hayes, Ward and Councilman Bryan Collins – say their desire to help South Hill residents has influenced them.
Cleaning up the environment and rebuilding neighborhoods… that seems to be the biodiesel way.
Chrysler is encouraging its customers to buy its new line of diesel vehicles… and then run those vehicles on renewable biodiesel.
And 
“We are very pleased to see the level of commitment that Chrysler has put into supporting the use of biodiesel,” said Joe Jobe, NBB CEO. “Chrysler’s incentive program is an attractive benefit for our NBB members, and a great opportunity to buy a new vehicle from a company that is working hard to provide consumers with more ‘green vehicle’ options running on renewable fuel.”
The biodiesel powerboat, the Earthrace, is making stops in 40 cities over 18 months before it makes another run at the world record for circumnavigating the globe.
The latest addition to Jay Leno’s Burbank, CA car garage is a high-class, hydrogen-powered ride. The Beamer fits well with Leno’s environmentally-conscious garage.
Sano Shimoda of BioScience Securities Inc. in Venice, Calif., said at the first Renewable on Parade conference that investors who put their money into ethanol five years ago are smiling now because they profited from a surge in ethanol demand that led to skyrocketing high prices.
A paper critical of world ethanol production, written by the chair of the Round Table on Sustainable Development at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)… but not officially the view of the OECD… has been blasted by the leaders of the European Bioethanol Fuel Association (eBio) and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). Those biofuels leaders are asking the OECD to disavow the paper issued last week. Part of the criticism centers on the media’s portrayal of the paper as the official position of the OECD.
“Specifically and just as disturbingly, this potentially unauthorized document fails to make its case, is highly one-sided and seemingly conflicts with previous OECD positions supporting biofuels as a component in reducing CO2 gases. In short, whether deliberate or not, the OECD’s imprimatur is on this document and it is the OECD that must now be accountable for what is a biased assessment of expanding the worldwide production and consumption of renewable biofuels. We respectfully, but urgently, request that OECD specifically disavow this report as not reflecting the official policy of the organization.”
University of Colorado officials have been experimenting with burning biodiesel in their campus mass transit system buses… the Buff Buses… and the results have been pretty “buff” in their own right.
USDA Rural Development officials have announced that 345 proposals in 37 states have been tapped to get about $18.2 million for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
“These funds will help create economic opportunity and reduce energy costs for farmers, ranchers and small businesses in rural communities,” [Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas] Dorr said. “Our renewable energy programs have a significant impact on creating jobs and investment opportunities and maintaining financially viable communities.” 
Biodiesel was one of the stars at this year’s Wisconsin Farm Tech Days as the state’s biodiesel industry also pushes the green fuel as the source of energy for this year’s harvest.
“Promoting the use of biodiesel to Wisconsin farmers is a bit like taking coal to Newcastle,” says Pieterick. “The Wisconsin Soybean Association and others in the state ag industry understand biodiesel and have historically promoted the home grown fuel as a value-added agricultural product that supports this nation’s energy independence.”