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Another procedural vote failure in the U.S. Senate has put up yet another roadblock to renewal of the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive. And that isn’t sitting well with the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. Past President and Western Iowa Energy Board Member Denny Mauser blasted the Senate and the Obama administration for having plenty of time to help doctors but can’t seem to be bothered to help the 23,000 people in the biodioesel industry who either have lost their jobs or soon will because of the loss of the credit:

“As the U.S. Senate continues to tinker with the tax extenders package, biodiesel plants in Iowa and around the country remain idle and continue to lay-off workers. The President stated on Tuesday that he would not settle for inaction on tackling America’s addiction to fossil fuels, but that is exactly what happened. The Senate failed once again to jumpstart the proven petroleum-displacing ability of America’s first advanced biofuel. By restoring the biodiesel tax incentive, one billion gallons of renewable fuel can begin displacing crude oil immediately.”

“It took one hundred senators to agree to the doc fix,” Mauser continued. “While I understand that is important, how can the biodiesel industry be left in the lurch as a million or more gallons of crude oil continue to spew into the Gulf waters each day? Any one senator could have stood up and said, ‘Let’s end the pay cuts and job losses for workers in the biodiesel industry at the same time as we pass the doctor pay-cut fix.’ After six months of devastating inaction, it’s past time for that type of Senate leadership.”

The IRFA recently has been quite vocal in its criticism of the lack action on the biodiesel credit. Just a few days ago, the group challenged Obama to put up a little less talk and a lot more action to promote biofuels after the President put such a high priority on renewable energy during this week’s address on the Gulf oil spill.

Alaska is finally producing biodiesel.

This article from Biodiesel Magazine says the Alaska Green Waste Solutions plant (which uses equipment and know-how from its sister company, Pacific Biodiesel Technologies) is the state’s first commercial biodiesel plant and can turn used cooking oil into 1,000 gallons of the green a day:

“This is a great example of the community-based model we believe in,” said Bob King, President of Pacific Biodiesel. “Here we have a city that has very limited options for feedstock because of the harsh growing conditions, yet they can still be producing their own sustainable fuel. Use the resources in your area and it can happen.”

Constructed in Salem, Ore., by Pacific Biodiesel Technologies and JVNW, the plant was disassembled for shipment and reassembled in Anchorage. Built in six shipping containers, the facility includes storage for feedstock, biodiesel and glycerin, utilities and the biodiesel produces system. It can be shipped anywhere, assembled on site and ready for production quickly.

Alaska Waste officials are pretty pleased at the development of the Anchorage plant:

“Today is very exciting for us because this program has been in the development for several years. We were the first refuse company to introduce curbside recycling, the first to offer commercial customers pre-consumer food waste composting and now we are diverting more than 200,000 gallons of used cooking oil from the waste stream and using it to fuel our fleet,” said Jeff Riley, Chief Operating Officer for the company.