Gazette endorses Billings biodiesel ordinance
Citing state biodiesel expert Howard Haines, Today's Billings Gazette endorses the effort by the Yellowstone Valley Citizens Council and the Montana League of Rural Voters to get the city of Billings to convert more and more of its fleet vehicles to biodiesel blends.
The Citizens Council and The League have been jointly working on Initiative 06-02, a petition asking the city to make the switch. Yellowstone Valley is primarily interested in cleaner air, while the Rural Voters are looking to the economic benefits surrounding farmers and rural communities would get if the state's largest city went to biodiesel. Both organizations promote energy independence and getting off foreign oil.
According to Haines "the state has untapped capacity to produce biodiesel. Montana has 38 kinds of native oilseeds and also grows commercial safflower, sunflower, flax, canola and mustard - all of which can be used in biofuel production. Haines said the three biodiesel crushing plants in the state are underused."
