Biodiesel
Power
The Passion, the People, and the Politics
of the Next Renewable Fuel
By Lyle Estill
Whether
we are nearing the end of oil or merely nearing the end of inexpensive
oil, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need to find alternative
ways to meet our energy needs. Biodiesel is one such alternative
-- and is one of the fastest growing sectors of the US economy.
Biodiesel
in North America is in its infancy. As air quality deteriorates
in major centers, governments are scrambling for ways to reduce
emissions and are embracing biodiesel in their fleets. Conferences
on biodiesel are often "inaugural," as society begins
discussing this fuel in earnest.
Biodiesel
Power is a chronicle of this emerging industry. Lightly touching
on the technical aspects of the fuel, its qualities and specifications,
the book is largely about the people and stories of the biodiesel
movement. It explores the tensions between grassroots activists
and their altruistic co-ops the profit minded commercial producers
and the voices of agribusiness, and
the current administration - or "the coalition of the drilling."
Far
from a third party account, Biodiesel Power comes from one who
has experienced it from the grease dumpster to the boardroom.
Lyle Estill has made the journey from back yard brewing, to being
part of a producer and distributor cooperative, to commercial
production.
Compelling
and timely, Biodiesel Power is the history of biodiesel in the
making. It will appeal to a wide audience including farmers, truckers,
backyarders and commercial producers, investors, politicians and
all those concerned about the end of oil.
