Ferry Could Use Biodiesel Instead of Shutting Down
Some new clean air regulations in California could lead to a popular ferry shutting down. But it might not have to if the vessel uses biodiesel.
This article from the Daily Pilot says the Catalina Flyer, a 500-passenger catamaran that runs between the mainland and Santa Catalina Island could have to shut down while the owners buy and install a new engine in line with the state’s environmental law. But it doesn’t have to be that way:
Bob Black, general manager for the tour boat company, said that unless he’s able to find a catamaran to lease, he may suspend service to Avalon as early as Sept. 12.
“I’m not thrilled about having to do this, but it’s something we’ve got to do,” said Black, referring to the purchase of a pair of engines that will cost him nearly $1 million.
Even though Black said the ship’s engine is in fine shape and he doesn’t believe it is polluting the waters, the state requires all commercial vessels to be equipped with new engines that reduce emissions in compliance with the Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation.
The purpose of the law, which was adopted Nov. 15, 2007, by the California Air Resources Board, is to reduce the amount of pollution caused by diesel engines on commercial harbor craft that operate within 24 nautical miles of the California coast.
Although the new law seems like it is three years old, it didn’t actually go into effect until 2009, which is why the Catalina Flyer is having to search for a replacement boat until the new engines are bought and installed.
But later on in the article, it’s pointed out that “[a]ll diesel engines on commercial harbor craft must be fueled with California Air Resource Board diesel fuel, with a sulfur content less than or equal to 15 parts per million, or an alternative diesel fuel such as biodiesel.”
So what gives? Are Californians so opposed to biofuels (note the state’s fighting of the use of ethanol instead of MTBE as an anti-pollution additive for gasoline) that they’ll lay off workers instead of using biodiesel … which will run in any current engine that runs on diesel … that might just burn clean enough to meet regulations? I’ll need to investigate this further, and maybe, in the meantime, someone can come up with an explanation.
4 Comments »
mus302
California is throwing up roadblocks to the use of biodiesel also. This is a quote from the Pearson Fuels forum.
“The State Water Resources Board has determined that every underground tank that has biodiesel in a concentration of B5 or more is in violation of the State’s environmental regulations, which are the most stringent in the world.
The short version is that every component that contains the biodiesel underground must have a “3rd Party Certification” usually from Underwriters Laboratories. There is not one single tank or pipe that has this certification because the market for biodiesel has so far not justified the expense for the manufacturers of the components to go get it. This means it is illegal in California to store biodiesel underground in a concentration of B5 or greater.
The State of California Office of Administrative Law approved emergency regulations that allow for the lawful storage of up to B20 under certain conditions, which we have so far met.”
http://pearsonfuels.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=134
So while they may technically be able to use biodiesel, they most likely won’t be able to find anything greater than B5 or possibly B20.
Mike
The wonderful State of California(confusion), makes nearly every business impossible to make a profit. Even more so with biofuels. By the time all the state regulatory agencies have gotten their “piece of the pie”, there is nothing left to call profit.
As a small biodiesel producer, we struggle day to day/ week to week just to pay the bills, and the only one making a profit? The state of course. Our saving grace is we sell every drop of quality fuel we produce.
Now if we could just get our customers to pay on time….
HJM
Wouldn’t an easy solution be to use above ground storage tanks? We have a manufacturer that can provide above ground tanks, blending and fueling stations and and an equipment financing company that will even finance the purchase…
Bob Winnson
HJM, the easy (and much less expensive) solution is for the State to allow biodiesel to be stored in UST’s. They’re already in place, so little or no additional cost. Yes, a solution would be to use above ground tanks for biodiesel, but that is a large added expense. And then, what about the abandoned UST’s? Is the state going to make them remove those, to prevent future possible leaks? Now that would be another huge expense.
Businesses like these very likely explored the option of above ground storage (if they have the room for it), and found it less costly to replace their engines. There is quite likely a lot of red tape and permitting to get through to install above ground storage. What a headache!
In the end, imported (as well as domestic) petroleum will keep fueling these new engines, which may be what some at the State wanted all along when they wrote the new regulations.
If some new folks take over the State agencies this fall–please allow UST’s for biodiesel blends up to B99! Cut out the red tape, and the massive expenses, as well as the catering to the petroleum companies.
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