Agenda Items:

1. Update on Prices: Prices are listed on the website. People’s Fuel working on a document to explain pricing - going up to website soon - to explain taxes, cost of doing business, etc. Biodiesel is a premium fuel so will command a premium price and will likely be more expensive then petro - and there is no oversight of all points in the supply chain to prevent excessive profit taking, so we need to watch that ourselves. Jan also notes that the price differential is only around 10%. Also, there will not be enough local waste oil to support the local demand. Tom wonders whether it would be a good idea to educate people how to grow and make their own fuel.

2. Petro Diesel Prices: Wayne distributed a summary of some research he did (Diesel Fuel Price Research) on the petro diesel prices. He concludes that this is not a transient price bubble but a long term trend. In any given barrel of oil, only a small percentage becomes diesel, so the quantity is limited. Jan notes that diesel use levels are less elastic as the users are mostly industry rather than individual consumers who have more flexibility in their level of driving.

3. Treasurer/Admin Report: Wesley, who also works for People’s Fuel, is taking over as a central admin for dealing with fleet cards. Jolie is still keeping books but has not been receiving info on income/expenditures. We have paid SFP thru May but have not billed members for May. We still have some people out there who have Fleet Cards but have not signed up and/or paid dues. Wesley will be taking this on. Jolie notes that we need to calculate whether our underpayment to SFP is offsetting our CC fees.

4. Discussion of possible consolidation w/Green Depot: Eric gave a brief summary of the Co-Op’s history and lack of non-profit status. Now that we are not involved in selling fuel but rather facilitating biodiesel, we may now qualify for non-profit status. Green Depot is a non-profit oriented toward biodiesel education and facilitation. Folding in with them would minimize administrative work and enable us to take donations. This would entail dissolving the co-op as a corporate entity. Wayne would help to administratively make the transition. Jolie suggested that our $800/year tax bill could be used to pay someone to facilitate the transition. We are not at the voting stage yet, but there were no objections.

5. Rainbow - Membership will be voting on whether to have a 100 gallon tank at rainbow to provide a permanent facility. If we get it, SF Carbon Fund would perhaps buy the facility. Fueling would then be available during all Rainbow hours. There is also some discussion about locating something in the Presidio, possibly on the side of Sport’s Basement. People’s Fuel is offering a sweat equity deal if any member comes to help at a given shift, they would be able to fuel on that day for a 50% discount. This means re-starting our sweat equity program. Jan will get the word out and get that re-started.

6. New Members - 65 known paying members, but we have many new members from Rainbow fueling that haven’t been entered into the system.

7. New Issues - Roy O is planning to open a fueling station in SF and will be talking with People’s Fuel to get help on the process. He spoke at length about his vision of a multifaceted location involving gardens, community, art, etc.

8. Visioning Meeting - we will discuss this when Ching Wei returns.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced the receipt of
a $1 million California Energy Commission (CEC) grant to the San
Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to build the City’s
first pilot grease-to-biodiesel production facility.

The facility will be sited at the SFPUC’s Oceanside Sewage Treatment
Plant, and is considered unique because it will attempt to create
three grades of biodiesel from “brown grease”, which are pan scrapings
and washed oil residue trapped in grease traps/interceptors under a
restaurant sink. There are more than 2.5 million gallons of brown
grease in the city, compared with 1.5 million gallons of “yellow
grease” like fryer oil. Biodiesel from grease is easily created using
the cleaner yellow grease, while brown grease is typically discarded
at sewage treatment plants.

“Our program to turn waste cooking oil and yellow grease into
biodiesel has been an enormous success, but San Francisco must
continue to raise the bar when it comes to reducing our greenhouse gas
emissions and exploring alternative energies,” said Mayor Newsom.
“With this grant, our unique brown-grease-

to-biodiesel plant will
break new ground for sustainable fuel production in California and
serve as a model for the entire state.”

Brown grease can be refined and created into three “grades” of biodiesel:

High-grade American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) certified
biodiesel for vehicles; Lower grade biofuel source for running sewage
treatment plant diesel plant turbines and pumps; and Rich energy for
cogeneration – the process of capturing methane gas at the sewage
plant and converting that to heating/electrical needs.

The CEC is looking closely at this and similar projects to help cover
California’s anticipated one billion gallon shortfall of biodiesel by
2022. The shortfall is anticipated even with a growing number of
yellow grease recycling programs like the SFGreasecycle, which the
City launched in November 2007 to collect yellow grease from
restaurants to fuel City vehicles, buses and fire trucks. The SFPUC,
which manages the SFGreasecycle program, will also manage the brown
grease pilot project.

The construction of the brown grease biodiesel facility should be
complete in December 2008.

“Sewage treatment plants account for 3% of the nation’s electrical
consumption because they run 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said
SFPUC General Manager Ed Harrington, “This brown-grease to biodiesel
project is a win-win for our ratepayers and the environment. We’ll
keep more grease out of the sewers AND reduce our reliance on outside
energy sources for our treatment plants.”

http://dieselhq.net/
I saw his new show room and he has lots of 1 or 2 year diesel cars. Fairly new diesels cars have almost no problems at all. Sorry , he doesn’t sell old diesels.
The owner is open to become a guest speaker at the next SF Biofuels meeting. He can not only can talk about diesel cars but his opinion of the high price of diesel.
He thinks China is not the big reason for the big diesel price.
–
An owner of 12 diesel buses said one of the ingrediants to make diesel went up in price, that’s the reason for the price hike. Sorry I forgot the details, anybody have more info on ingrediant, pls email me privately.

For those of you who commute down peninsula… I’m sure many of you already know… but a new biodiesel “Filling Station and Quick Mart” opened in San Mateo. It’s Autopia.

I tanked up there today at $4.74 per gallon. The B99 is certified and made from Taco Chip oil. They may make it on the premises; I forgot to ask. The pump is brand new and the site is pleasant. Austin accepts cash or credit cards.

Their website is at www.autopiabiofuels.com. Even the quickie mart has a good green slant; they’re trying to get all their snacks from a 100 mile radius. And, they’re applying for a liquor license, so you’ll be able to pick up a six pack, maybe a bottle of wine, as you fuel up to help support the business.

Looks like a good operation to support if you work south of the city.
The facility is by the Caltrain tracks a couple blocks west of
Delaware, so freeway access is easy. Check them out.

WHAT:   Rainforest depletion to fuel our cars? That’s
not right! But there is a better way—by using recycled fuel, creating local economies, and simply driving less. This evening will be entertaining, educational, and a great way to meet like-minded people who have hope we can overcome our petroleum-dependent ways.
Despite the backlash against biofuel, the BFO is showing us a sustainable way!

Films include:
•       “Fat of the Land”—a 1995 documentary about four
pioneering women traveling around the country transforming fuel from fryer grease. Set back in the day when no one heard about biodiesel, they are encountered with disbelief and awe.
•       “Freedom Fuels” (excerpts)—an award winning
documentary about the current state of biodiesel
•       “Revolution Green” (excerpts) about the state of
sustainable biodiesel in America today
•       Other shorts and newsclips
With presentations about big biodiesel’s impact on Borneo and Argentina.
And…live puppetry with the Big Tadoo Puppet Crew, an Ask a Mechanic booth, special, limited edition t-shirt silk screening assembly line, and homemade popcorn.

WHEN:   Wednesday, April 30th
7 – 10 p.m.

WHERE:  La Pena Cultural Center,
3105 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley
510-849-2589

COST:  $10-20 entry (no one turned away for lack of
funds)
All proceeds go toward building the most sustainable station in the nation, the Biofuel Oasis’s new location at Ashby and Sacramento.

Contact:Novella Carpenter
510.847.7141 mobile
Biofuel Oasis Cooperative

The article says “for sale in Europe by end of next year”. Who knows how
long it will take to get to the U.S., but at least it seems like years
and not decades! Now hopefully these new engines don’t get so hi tech
that they become “incompatible” with Biodiesel!

-Ching-Wei

Read this article at BeyondChron

Event Description:
Lighten Up Your Ride is a clean car expo & rally hosted by Working Assets & the MMOB, and celebrating cutting edge transport for the climate!

Come see demo displays of plug-in hybrids, 100% electric cars, biodiesel and solar vans, with kids art activities and letter-writing actions as well. Enjoy music from DJ-On-A-Bike, shuttle in on the veggie-oil fueled van, or ride your bike to our Bike Valet!

Find out more about this event here

There has been a lot of confusion about annual membership dues. I apologize that this was not clear to everyone earlier in the year. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify the dues situation.

The board of directors made a decision at the end of last year to raise dues to $36 for 2007. Membership dues were due January 1, 2007. Dues must be paid before you fuel and only members in good standing (meaning you have paid your dues) will be able to vote in the upcoming board elections.

A bit of history - Dues have changed each year since the inception of the co-op. Dues were $100 in the beginning. We used those dues to pay for our initial infrastructure and startup costs. For 2006, the board decided to lower dues to $12 per year. We also initiated the concept of the $1.00 one-month ($12/12 months) membership for those traveling through town. We have always worked to make biodiesel available to everyone we can.

Back to why $36 for 2007 - Given our current infrastructure needs (new pump and meter), the Board reached a decision at the end of last year, and after much debate, to increase dues to $36 for this year. The co-op has maintained its policy of charging no mark-up on fuel sold to sweat equity members. As a result, we run very lean.

We have also decided to maintain the concept of the one-month membership for those traveling through town; that is now a $3 one-month membership ($36/12 months). The one-month membership is not available for regular members.

For members who would like to get involved in the decision-making process, we welcome your participation at the monthly meetings. For those with an even greater desire to get involved, I encourage you to run for election to the Board of Directors.

We will be having Board elections in March. I’ll be sending out an e-mail shortly regarding the election and soliciting volunteers to run for the Board.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding co-op dues, please let me or another member of the Board of Directors know.

Best regards,

Eric
President
SF Biofuels Co-op