Proposed Sacramento biodiesel refinery wins state alternative fuel grant

Proposed Sacramento biodiesel refinery wins state alternative fuel grant    The California Air Resources Board has awarded a firm proposing to build a biofuel refinery at the Port of Sacramento with the largest-ever single California grant towards biodiesel production.
   The $640,000 grant, to be used for construction costs of the plant, is part of CARB's $25 million Alternative Fuels Incentive Program.
   Envisioned by operator Primafuel Inc. of Long Beach as having 10 times the production capacity of its closest California rival, the proposed Sacramento refinery would be capable of producing 60 million gallons of diesel fuel a year from mainly imported vegetable oil. The total estimated cost of the facility, which was given a green light by the port authority in May, is $60 million to $90 million. Under the current proposal, the Sacramento plant would be completed by 2009.
   “By encouraging the general public to accept and prepare for alternative fuels we accelerate the transition to advanced technologies and minimize the environmental and health burdens associated with energy consuming products,” CARB said. “Any action that reduces emissions, diversifies energy sources, and educates the public of the benefits of alternative fuels is a boon to the quality of life in California and is by extension a liberating force for the rest of the world.”
   A multistate agency team comprising the Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, State Water Resources Control Board, Integrated Waste Management Board, California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Department of Forestry, and other agencies reviewed the proposals and provided recommendations resulting in the award.