tis all about money....

[Stretch]

State makes big fuss over local couple's vegetable oil car fuel
Wetzel uses recycled vegetable oil, which he picks up weekly from an organization that uses it for frying food at its dining facility.
"They told me I am required to have a license and am obligated to pay a motor fuel tax," David Wetzel recalled. "Mr. May also told me the tax would be retroactive." Since the initial visit by the agents on Jan. 4, the Wetzels have been involved in a struggle with the Illinois Department of Revenue. The couple, who live on a fixed budget, have been asked to post a $2,500 bond and threatened with felony charges.

Posted Mar 7, 2007 08:34 AM PST
Category: DICTATORSHIP


I love it: these folks went "off the petroleum grid", so get hit for unpaid taxes by the State of Illinois!
http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2007/03/01/news/local_news/1021491.txt

 

[Niflmir]

I wonder what message the state is trying to send.

"Yes, not only are we not ratifying kyoto, we are actively penalizing citizens who use alternative fuels."

 

[karrie]

Part of the taxes put on fuel are environmental tax, are they not? I would assume this is what the government is still trying to make up. Simply burning other things in our vehicles is not going to save the enviro, as they are not pollution free. Just a thought.

 

[Tonington]

Maybe they don't like the smell of french fries?

The state wants them to have a license to manufacture their own fuel, and pay a $2500 dollar fine. How on earth did they find out about the vegetable oil car anyways, did someone rat them out? A good article to add to the libertarian & big government threads.

 

[TenPenny]

I believe that the concept is, if you drive a vehicle on the roads, you are required to pay road tax, which is part of the price you pay at the pump.

In New Brunswick, there is a guy who burns used vegetable oil in his Jetta. He tracks his usage, and VOLUNTARILY sends the appropriate amount of fuel tax to the Province.

 

[DurkaDurka]

It's nice to see that corporations get grants and credits to lower emissions and pollution etc yet regular citizens get taxed for doing same the thing...

 

[Tonington]

I'd like to know what portion of that tax actually goes to new road projects, rather than some legislative coffer. In this case the State of Illinois is asking for more than the tax. At $2500 dollars, thats 51 years worth of taxes based on the mileage this couple clocks.

 

[karrie]

It's nice to see that corporations get grants and credits to lower emissions and pollution etc yet regular citizens get taxed for doing same the thing...

I agree, it is nice to see. Your average citizen is not knowledgable enough about the internal workings of an engine to ensure that the alternative fuel they are using is acutally burning at peak efficiency, with a minimum of environmental impact. Having every Tom Dick and Harry run out and start burning whatever they feel like in their vehicles, while it may fall under the umbrella of 'alternative fuel', may actually be highly detrimental to the environment.

 

[Tonington]

The switch from regular petroleum diesel to biodiesel amounts to a reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions per litre of fuel by about 100% according to Chis Ford's research (an advocate for alternative fuels). Others claim the average reduction is closer to 78%. Sulphurous compounds which make for a large portion of smog in cities is reduced by 75% while mileage increases by 3%.

 

[darkbeaver]

Who's team are they on.

 

[karrie]

The switch from regular petroleum diesel to biodiesel amounts to a reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions per litre of fuel by about 100% according to Chis Ford's research (an advocate for alternative fuels). Others claim the average reduction is closer to 78%. Nitrogenous compounds which make for a large portion of smog in cities is reduced by 75% while mileage increases by 3%.

So, would the fryer oil this couple was using be considered a true biodiesel? Would it have the same efficiency and burn as cleanly the way they used it in their vehicle?

 

[DurkaDurka]

I agree, it is nice to see. Your average citizen is not knowledgable enough about the internal workings of an engine to ensure that the alternative fuel they are using is acutally burning at peak efficiency, with a minimum of environmental impact. Having every Tom Dick and Harry run out and start burning whatever they feel like in their vehicles, while it may fall under the umbrella of 'alternative fuel', may actually be highly detrimental to the environment.

Right...and I guess GM and the sorts only discovered alternative fuels yesterday. Maybe the government should back tax them for the years they failed to implement tecnhologies which were readily available at the time.

 

[karrie]

Right...and I guess GM and the sorts only discovered alternative fuels yesterday. Maybe the government should back tax them for the years they failed to implement tecnhologies which were readily available at the time.

Can't really argue with that. But, consumer demand was largely to blame. A lot of people were and still are unwiling to buy new technology in their vehicles, for a plethora of reasons.

 

[hermanntrude]

I had a friend in england who did exactly this. He was fully aware it was illegal too. I sense that maybe they should have a tax reduction, but then it's very hard to prove someone is using recycled oil and not gas.

 

[Tonington]

Karrie, about the pollution, and cleanliness of the fuel
It's hard to say, the article says:
"[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] a 1986 Volkswagen Golf, that David Wetzel converted to run primarily from vegetable oil but also partly on diesel."

[/FONT]Now, I don't know if he is only running the diesel to warm up the engine and then pump in the pure vegetable oil or if he is mixing the vegetable oil with diesel. It's harmful to engines to use the first option, vegetable oil being so thick and all.

Heres the difference between pure biodiesel (B100) and blends mixed with regular diesel(B5,20 and so on). You can see pure biodiesel reduces emissions better than blends, but there steps that have to be followed to work well.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]

 

[karrie]

Now, I don't know if he is only running the diesel to warm up the engine and then pump in the pure vegetable oil or if he is mixing the vegetable oil with diesel. It's harmful to engines to use the first option, vegetable oil being so thick and all.

And that's exactly what concerns me with average joes running out and converting to an alternative combustible for their vehicles. One article I read ages ago was pertaining to a van that was running on fry oil, but it discussed how picky it is to mix correctly. It discussed the increasingly poor performance an engine will give if the mix is not correct, running less and less efficiently, and burning less and less cleanly as it essentially begins to gum up.

I'd love to see a standardized fuel come out, one that burns clean and efficiently, and is great for the enviro. But I guess I just doubt the ability of people to mix up their own.

 

[Tonington]

This guy is a retired research chemist, I would hope he could mix ingredients properly

 

[karrie]

This guy is a retired research chemist, I would hope he could mix ingredients properly

lol. well, if he was the only one in the country who would consider this, then perhaps it wouldn't be an issue the government would need to tax (or fine if you prefer). But I know I've heard of others, unqualified people, doing the same as well. College students, redneck farmers... lol.

 

[hermanntrude]

This guy is a retired research chemist, I would hope he could mix ingredients properly

he's obviously a genius :0)

 

[Tonington]

:thumbup: