10/03/06 Biofuels standard called "doalble"

Washington Ag October 3, 2006 The Bio-energy Coordinator for the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Greg Wright, told lawmakers at a recent workshop on Washington's Biofuel Initiative, that he is optimistic that the state's renewable fuel content requirement is doable. That standard for example requires that two percent of diesel sold in the state be biodiesel in November of 2008. Wright told lawmakers that two percent represents about 24 million gallons and projects the state is working with through its loan program will generate 50-60 million gallons a year. And there are others. Wright: "All of the proposed projects that are either in the permitting stage or in the initial stages of development, according to the statistics from WSU will generate about 300 million gallons of biodiesel a year." Of course the goal is to have the feedstock for that biodiesel production grown in Washington. Wright says estimates are that would take from 150-thousand to 400-thousand acres to meet the two percent requirement. Wright: "That seems like a lot. But put that in perspective. That that represents between four and 10% of the total cropland in the state of Washington." But with only 75-hundred acres of canola grown this year, WSDA officials admitted it will be a challenge. I'm Bob Hoff.