The bio diesel story in the Trib today is an object lesson in what will happen when government begins to dictate winners and losers in the name of saving the planet from AGW (“Manmade Global Warming”). The upshot: Taxpayer costs will go up, up, up and there will be little to nothing to show for it. We see this from government already, but the fortuitous timing of the story in the Trib may get people thinking about it again. Nut ‘graf from Nick Budnick’s story:

…the city recently paid its Eastern Oregon suppliers about $6.75 a gallon for a large shipment of 100 percent biodiesel. That’s a steep hike over what the city paid earlier in the year.

In contrast, Jim Charriere, McCall Oil & Chemical Corp. CEO, said that his company – which stores Portland’s biodiesel – today sells regular 100 percent biodiesel for $2.50 a gallon to wholesalers.

The contract was hammered out by Randy Leonard and the folks at the Rainbow City Council.
This microcosm helps explain why the new study on the Western Climate Initiative (cap and trade and energy rationing in Oregon, Washington, California and other states and Canadian provinces) shows that the projected Oregon economy in the year 2020 would be cut in HALF because of the dampening effect of the WCI plan. The enviros’ talk of sustainability always ends at your wallet.