PDX Transit

Portland may soon see many more of its public vehicles running off of biodiesel.  In a recent trip to Eastern Oregon, City Commissioner Randy Leonard made a tentative deal with the Pendleton Grain Growers cooperative to purchase biodiesel with which to fuel many of the diesel engine cars and trucks that the city operates.  With 99 percent of the Water Bureau’s diesel vehicles already on biodiesel, and all other city diesel vehicles on a 20 percent biodiesel mix, the need for a reliable source of the fuel is paramount to keeping the city running.

Biodiesel is made from vegetable or animal fat based oils which are used as fuel in converted diesel engines. It is an eco-friendly fuel which also doubles up as a low carbon alternative to heating oil. So if you are thinking about getting a new car and you are browsing dealerships online between playing party poker or online racing games, you should consider what type of engine the car has. Biodiesel may be a little dearer but it is eco-friendly and vehicles perform well from using it.

The Pendleton cooperative involved with the deal is currently growing a limited amount of canola, the grain which produces an oil used in the manufacture of biodiesel.  With the prospect of widespread use of biodiesel in Portland, the cooperative can invest in planting more of the grain, making it a more financially feasible option for both the City and the farmers.

The City Council must still approve Commissioner Leonard’s proposal before it takes effect.  Pending that approval, and further negotiations with the cooperative, the City could receive its first shipments of biodiesel from the Pendleton area starting in early 2007.

For more information see the Portland Tribune.

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