Biodiesel Sector at Disadvantage in N.C., Says Proponents

From Triangle Business Journal, Friday July 3
By Frank Vinluan
North Carolina's goal of boosting in-state biofuels production is hitting a speed bump.
The state has a target for 10 percent of all liquid fuels sold in the state to be made in North Carolina from renewable sources by 2017. But incentives in other states make North Carolina's biodiesel comparatively more expensive, leading distributors to go out of state to buy their renewable fuel.
Meanwhilte, some North Carolina biodiesel producers are running on fumes as they produce below their capacity and cast about for ways to compete. Zack Hamm, president of Triangle Biofuels in Wilson, says he wonders if he can make it through the summer.
"We're not that far from shutting down," he says.
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The North Carolina Biomass Roadmap, written by the North Carolina Biomass Council at the request of the State Energy OFfice, recommends that North Carolina displace 10% of its gasoline and diesel fuel consumption by 2017 using in-state biomass resources while incorporating energy efficiency measures, and states that it is possible to do so using exisiting resources.