Philadelphia’s Trap of Grease. National Energy Policy Versus Urban Realities

Biodiesel fuel offers the potential of a cleaner alternative to petroleum hydrocarbons for use in heavy-weight vehicles. However, this paper explains how the current concatenation of federal energy and environmental policies hampers a Philadelphia-based initiative to develop a commercial-scale facility that would exploit waste kitchen grease for the production of biodiesel. This biodiesel plant initiative, called Philadelphia Fry-O-Diesel, could help improve the city’s air quality, lower costs associated with wastewater treatment, and provide an alternative to imported petroleum-based vehicle fuel. However, the current policy framework effectively pits agricultural, virgin oil feedstock producers of biodiesel against urban-industrial, recycled oil feedstock producers. By disfavoring urban producers, the policy framework fails to encourage initiatives such as Fry-O-Diesel. The author suggests that changes in national energy policy could create a more amenable environment for the Fry-O-Diesel initiative.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/34383369
• Authors:
  • Hill, Sarah
• Publication Date: 2007-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 194-203
• Serial:
  • Public Works Management & Policy
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 1087-724X
  • EISSN: 1552-7549
  • Serial URL: http://pwm.sagepub.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Agriculture; Biodiesel fuels; Case studies; Environmental policy; Federal government; Grease; Heavy vehicles; Industrial plants; Policy analysis; Production; Recycled materials; Recycling; Urban areas; Waste products (Cargo)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Feedstock
• Geographic Terms: Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Highways; Policy; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01047240
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 30 2007 8:07AM