Biofuel a growing idea for local vehicles, farms

From the farmer's field to the gas tank, Snohomish County is betting that biofuel — and the crops used to produce it — can offer a new source of economic development and environmental benefits.

To help prove it, the county has begun switching part of its vehicle fleet to biofuel, a mixture of traditional diesel made from fossil fuels and seed crops pressed into oils. The alternative fuel is cleaner than traditional diesel, emitting fewer atmospheric pollutants.

Now, biodiesel is more expensive at the pump than regular diesel. But unpredictable fuel prices and a coming federal mandate to use ultra-low-sulfur diesel have some analysts predicting biodiesel soon could be competitive in price with both traditional and ultra-low-sulphur diesel.

But perhaps more important, Snohomish County is poising itself to potentially be a statewide, and possibly national, supplier of biofuel crops. For more than a year, county officials have worked with farmers to test seed crops to determine what grows best in this wet environment and what would be most useful for fuel.

With more than 60,000 acres of available farmland in the county — about 30,000 of those acres now fallow — the raising of biofuel crops could be an alternative that re-

established an almost-forgotten livelihood locally.

Making the switch

About 275 of 1,500 county vehicles have been switched from traditional diesel to a much cleaner biodiesel mixture, made up partly of pressed oils from mustard and rapeseed, crops grown currently in small volumes in the United States.

The switch is part of a one-year pilot project the county hopes will lead to an entire fleet switchover in the future.

The county has contracted with Petrocard, a commercial fuel supplier, to provide the biodiesel at an Arlington pump station the company operates. Petrocard cleaned and converted one of its tanks to supply biodiesel.

Though only about 18 percent of the county's fleet is using an alternative fuel, officials selected a variety of vehicles to better test biodiesel's efficiency, including road-maintenance and Solid Waste Division trucks.

Also, because the biofuel has been blended to automotive standards, there's no additional maintenance required to use the fuel, said Allen Mitchell, the county's fleet manager.

"That's one of the easy things for us in switching," Mitchell said. "All of our vehicles already can use the alternative."

The county spent months researching alternative fuels to be certain there were no maintenance problems from long-term biodiesel use and to make sure fuel mileage was comparable.

Though national studies show a slight loss in mileage when using biodiesel, the differences have been mostly negligible, according to the Energy Information Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Mitchell said other counties and cities using similar fuel have no complaints. Tacoma uses a biofuel mix for its vehicle fleet.

In Snohomish County, about 16,000 to 20,000 gallons of traditional diesel will be replaced each month with the fuel mixture, which is about 20 percent oil from seed and 80 percent low-sulfur diesel.

The price of the mixture is about 30 cents higher per gallon than regular diesel, which sells for about $2.69 a gallon in Everett. But the county is paying only about 15 cents a gallon more, County Executive Aaron Reardon said. Petrocard receives a federal tax credit for supplying the biofuel, and its operators have agreed to pass on that savings to the county.

Though it makes no financial sense yet to switch the county's whole fleet over to the alternative fuel, Reardon said, there soon may come a day. In the fall, the federal government will require a switch to ultra-low-sulfur diesel to reduce soot that diesel vehicles emit into the atmosphere.

The ultra-low-sulfur diesel costs more than regular diesel, which could make switching to biofuel less of a stretch from a price standpoint. Plus, higher demand for biofuel could lead to greater production and lower prices, Reardon said.

The county will be doing its part to make that happen locally, Mitchell said.

"We maintain the fleets of many of the cities here," he said. "We'll be talking with each of them, trying to get them interested in switching."

Lake Stevens, one of those cities, is interested in using biodiesel and has inquired about grant opportunities to cover the additional cost.

"We're very willing to look into it, but we're still at a very preliminary stage," said Sara Evans, the coordinator of Lake Stevens' public-works program.

Regardless of price, biodiesel offers environmental benefits that traditional and ultra-low-sulphur diesel can't match.

Traditional diesel emits some 300 to 500 parts per million of particulates — polluted dust that can lodge in the lungs. Ultra-low-sulfur diesel reduces that to about 15 parts per million. But better still is biofuel, which can drop emissions to below 5 parts per million.

According to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, if the county were to switch its entire fleet to biodiesel, its particulate emissions would decline by 60 tons a year.

Doing so would, however, increase the release of nitrogen oxides that produce smog, according to the Energy Information Administration. Producers of alternative fuels are experimenting with additives to cancel that increase in air pollutants.

"There is definitely an environmental angle that we have to consider," Reardon said.

Focus on farming

Though partly driven by the environmental benefits of biodiesel, the county also sees the possibility of jump-starting its lagging agricultural economy by introducing biofuel crops.

For more than a year, scientists and county farmers have joined in testing which crops grow well in the area and which produce the best oils.

During fall 2004, scientists from the Washington State University Extension Service planted several types of mustard seed, canola and rapeseed. Each can be used to produce different oils for vehicle use. The plants were assessed for their capability of handling the wet climate and producing enough volume and quality to be profitable.

"Of the testing done then, there were enough results to show that there may be some sort of promise for both oil quality and production volume," said Mike Hackett of the Extension Service's agricultural-development department.

Trials continued last spring, and results again were positive, Hackett said.

"Being a scientist, I don't want to get everybody excited and say this is all wonderful," Hackett said. "But following two small plantings on less than half an acre, this spring we'll find a 40-acre piece and see what happens."

With about 30,000 acres of fallow farmland, Snohomish County has room for biofuel crops. But making them economically viable is a must, officials say. The county can't offer financial incentives, but it can promote the idea to farmers and consumers, setting up the county to make a name for itself in biofuel products.

Bolstering such an effort could be Gov. Christine Gregoire's recently proposed low-interest loans for biodiesel plants. Gregoire also is backing legislation that would require some biofuel be added to diesel produced in Washington.

State Rep. Janéa Holmquist, R-Moses Lake, is expected to introduce legislation this session to require statewide use of biodiesel. Expected backers include state Reps. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, and Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon.

"We want to set a 2 percent figure for biodiesel," Morris said. "What we haven't settled on is whether that's 2 percent of total annual sales or 2 percent of biodiesel blended in with regular diesel."

Morris and Dunshee worked together three years ago to pass legislation that mandated the state to use at least 2 percent biodiesel in its vehicles by June 1. Morris said he is set to receive an update on the state's progress soon.

With state interest growing, Reardon wants the county at the forefront.

"I'd like to see our farmers produce enough to fuel all of our vehicles in the county and be competitive nationwide," he said. "Progress has been slow, but many barriers to making this viable have been removed."

For years, biofuel production had been limited to the Midwestern U.S., where corn is turned into ethanol. But outside that region, few vehicles were fueling up with the gasoline substitute. The same situation could occur in the Northwest, but all the same, county officials say they must help take steps away from dependence on foreign oil and toward fuel self-sufficiency.

Even if the 40-acre test crop is successful in spring, an active farming industry will still be years away, Hackett said.

One hitch is that the crops can easily cross-pollinate — altering one or more of a plant's characteristics — and many precautions would need to be taken. One would be to set up seeding districts, which would determine what areas of the county could grow what crop.

"Yet this could be another alternative to farmers seeking to grow something different than marginally profitable commodities like potatoes, corn or peas," Hackett said. "We're always looking for farming alternatives, and biofuel seems pretty timely."

Not a magic potion

As the county explores biodiesel's potential here, competition from Skagit County and farming counties east of the Cascades seems inevitable. But by testing crops and beginning a switch to biodiesel, Snohomish County already has quite a jump on the others, officials say.

Still, leaders point out that any biofuel success story here would be only part of solving the county's economic puzzle.

"I'd caution anyone from thinking this solves our energy or environmental issues," Reardon said. "We still need to prove this can work."

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com