New funds help boost biodiesel distribution hub plans
The facility will expand the annual availability of biodiesel for eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and northern Idaho by more than 12 million gallons per year.
The Clean Energy Transition Project grant was awarded through the US Department of Agriculture’s Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Programme.
The goal of the project is to help Eastern Washington farmers with cleaner fuel to meet new state fuel standards and reduce the carbon footprint of wheat, barley and potato harvests, said the release.
The funding will help pay for installation of speciality equipment required for the blending, storage and distribution of biodiesel fuels at the terminal on the Franklin County side of the Snake River where it flows into the Columbia River.
Tidewater will receive neat biodiesel by railcar, store it in two 400,000-gallon tanks, and blend and offload it for delivery through an upgraded and expanded truck rack.
That will allow Tidewater to dedicate a truck bay for biodiesel blending and neat biodiesel, and feed the fuel to a pipeline serving the BNSF Railway’s fuelling system in its Pasco rail yard.
“Transitioning to a clean energy economy is how we tackle the climate crisis while creating good paying jobs in every part of our state — and that absolutely needs to include our farmers and rural communities,” said Sen. Patty Murray.
“With this funding I helped to secure, biodiesel will be readily available for farmers across eastern Washington and beyond. This is going to lower costs, lower carbon emissions, and strengthen the local economy. This is a huge win for the entire Tri-Cities community.”
The yard will help increase the Pacific Northwest’s biodiesel capacity by 12 million gallons per year. It is aimed at providing cleaner fuel to the heavy equipment farmers’ use, bringing as much as 2 million gallons per month during peak harvest times.