U.S. biodiesel production soars, but crude is still king

Biodiesel production in the United States has surged so far in 2012, just two years after a collapse in which 52 of the nation’s 170 biodiesel plants were idled. But as The Los Angeles Times reports, the fuel still has many miles to go before it becomes a significant addition to the nation’s energy needs, according to Energy Department statistics. During the first quarter of 2012, which are the most recent statistics available, 241 million gallons of biodiesel were produced, the Energy Department reports. That was a 78.5% increase over the same three months in 2011, and a whopping 169% increase over the same period in 2010—the year the industry was rocked by the temporary loss of federal tax credits. But biodiesel still represents a relative drop in the bucket of the nation’s immense thirst for liquid fuel. The total of 92 million gallons of biodiesel produced in March—the best month in 2012 on record—appears miniscule next to the 4.9 billion gallons of crude oil–derived diesel and heating oil the U.S. consumed in March, according to Energy Department figures. The nation also consumed 11.2 billion gallons of gasoline in March. Total petroleum consumption in March in the United States was 23.6 billion gallons.