March 22, 2006
Bio-Diesel Boondoggle
Anybody who thought that the state's new subsidy for bio-diesel production was something more than just another boondoggle for a faddish but economically unviable industry, should think again. Today's Seattle Times reports "Monorail officials resurface, jump into biodiesel project"
Less than a year after Seattle's monorail project imploded, some of its key players are turning their attention to a new enterprise — making biodiesel.
A Seattle-based company, Washington Biodiesel, is planning to build a biodiesel plant in the small Grant County farming town of Warden, south of Moses Lake, with the help of $2.5 million in public money from the recently passed state budget.
Washington Biodiesel's new president is the Monorail's aptly named former finance director, Daniel Malarkey. The Monorail's former chief executive Joel Horn is serving Washington Biodiesel as a consultant.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at March 22, 2006
09:44 AM | Email This
1. You crack me up with your jokes, but on second thought, no one could make this stuff up if it weren't true.
While we are at it, how about bringing the WHOOPS people back. For you recent immigres, WHOOPS was the consortium of power authorities that went out and started building nuke plants. They were so hot and furious and the rules kept changing on them so fast that the cost controls went out the windows. It was also during the time of the Carter Wonderyears and double digit interest rates.
We might as well bring those folks back, too.
2. Yeah, a while back Matt posted on Biodiesel here and Malarkey showed up in the comments heavily defending Biodiesel. I've got nothing with these guys making a buck duping the next sap as many capitalists do every day, but I've got a big problem with them taking public tax dollars to do it, especially when they do it under the guise of environmentalism and/or any other politically correct fad.
And especially when they recruit folks like Joel Horn who are skilled in the art of political back slapping, pandering, blowing huge amounts of public money on nothing, and knowing exactly who to grease in Olympia to get $2.5 Million in the budget.
We need to keep the spotlight on these pork addicted chumps. If Biodiesel can't compete on the market in its own right, then it should not succeed, let's let the market decide. And before the lefty trolls start pointing out other businesses that receive subsidy, let me just say that those subsidies should be pulled as well.
What's that smell? That's the stench of Biodiesel rotting your economy.
3. They do make a good pair though. Dan shovels the Malarkey while Joel blows the Horn.
4. It can't be to far off when Kevin Phelps (Sound Transit, Smoking Ban, Brame and other Hoodlum activities)will find a way to ride this bandwagon!!!
Pacific Grove Phlash (Monterey Ca.) formaly known as "Tacoma Phlash"
5. Run for the hills. I am just glad that these same people's budget now from the taxpayers is about 1000 times smaller. At least we won't be paying for it for 5 years and get nothing. (until the next legislative session)
6. Bio-diesel production? Get ready for rain forest depletion as countries try to compete in the market for this environmentally safe alternative fuel.
7. I am a big fan of bio-diesel, but these people are just leeches. They must be leftovers from the dot com bust and have moved to feeding off public money.
It saddens me that a good thing is going to be destoryed by such wastefull people.
8. If biodiesel is the future, the the risk-taking entreprenuers should foot the bill AND reap the rewards of success.
The folks who founded MSFT (and , no, it wans't Bill G. on his own that founded the company!) took one helluva risk and it paid off. Handsomely!
Som biodiesel is fine by me: just do the work on your own nickel!
9. With that bunch running it and the State funding it biodiesel is doomed. It will never work the heavy subsidies, massive government control, and continual politcal interferance.
If biodiesel is viable, I've seen conflicting studies on the matter. The only way to find out is in the free market.
10. Bio is good stuff. Bio can be made cheaply at this time. Nothing can be made cheaply when the government gets it little mitts involved. How green is bio? Well you need vegetable oil (used is OK), sodium hydroxide, methanol, and water. There are biproducts including lots of water used to remove the "soap" residue from washing the reacted product. Note that anyone could produce this stuff in their home with a little web search. Some claim costs below $0.30/gal. You may bet your sweet bippy that this boondoggle will be 10 times that at the least.
11. Yes, how dare people try to do something after one failure.
Of course, thank God that all those involved in the boondoggle that was the Republican challenge to the election of Governor Gregoire, from Mr. Sharansky to Chris Vance to Dino Rossi have agreed to never do anything ever again. All that money wasted, and all they managed to do was lose votes for Rossi.
Now that is a boondoggle.
12. JDB,
Sarcasm aside, what makes you think these two flim-flam artists can do anything positive with OUR tax dollars this time around? Yes, it is the fact that it's the TAXPAYERS MONEY they're spending that makes it OUR business.
Queen Christine, Washington's unelected "Governor" is merely throwing a bone ($2.5M, to start) to a pair of her idiot subjects whose claim to fame is running the monorail project (and millions and millions of TAXPAYERS money) into the ground. Great credentials for the next ripoff!! And guess what, the joke's on us!
13. JDB,
Yes, how dare people try to do something after one failure.
Fine, show us where the Monorail people have any ability to set up and run a business. Just show us that.
14. Joel Horn is a gucci carpet bagger brought in by Paul (I'm notta wuzz) Schell -- he did a knock over of tax monies to build the Pacific Place parking for Nordstrom then gave the Pacific Medical Center (technically owned by taxpayers) to Amazon.com -- his first "gun for hire" project was the south of lake union park -- remember that? He's an out of state con artist who makes his (very good) living screwing taxpayers --
15. I'm not sure these guys could attract venture capital based on their track record.
16. I'm tired of working for a living. How do I get on the taxpayer funded gravy train?
17. Fuel costs were 15% of revenue for me last year so I'm a big fan of bioD- as in brewing my own.
However these bozos should be banned from ever dealing with taxpayer money again.
18. If bio-diesel ever stood a chance of being anything other than another drain on the taxpayers, that is now lost. The only talent that either of these two lies in scamming money from taxpayers.
I have seen nothing in the public record to suggest that either of these two have what it takes to operate a toilet plunger or hand a guy a clean towel. Neither of them could make it as a washroom attendant. However, they are not alone in that regard when you look at Seattle political appointments in general.
19. The biodeiesel scam has a partner: Ethanol. Both of these scams seem to take on a political life of their own and nobody (certainly the press) never questions the factual aspects of it. Whatever the enviro-wackos say in their press releases is what is believed. Those people could tell the truth if it would do them more good! Ethanol has the same production cost problems as biodiesel AND it gets delivers less mileage than gasoline. It has been argued that because of poor mileage, it causes more pollution (reasonable to assume). When we switch to the 10% ethanol here in the winter my car gets two to three miles to the gallon less than the summer "mix" of less than 10% ethanol and the rough runability is very noticeable. In the cool, damp weather we have here in the winter, the car should run fantastic but sadly, that's not the case.
The Oil Haters will endorse anything that almost burns as our next savior just as long as it isn't oil based. We've bred these screwballs in our public school monopoly and are reaping that harvest now.
20. Steve-O >> One of the reasons given for the current jump in gas prices is that an increased amount of ethanol is being used - even in the summer formulations. -- per a recent news report!!
21. Before anybody thinks about "brewing their own" I have a little story from the UK. Over there people get for free the old fish and chip oil - stain out the chunks - and travel on that. The shop keepers are more than happy to get rid of it as they have to pay for proper disposal.
Problem: The authorities want their taxes. The London coppers have special officers who go around smelling exhaust (seriously) and will write a citation for tax evasion if they believe that you are burning fry oil (very aromatic I’m told). So . . . they are getting a ticket for not paying taxes on something that they are not using.
Want to apologize for the typo laden post just above. Sorry.
22. Steve-O,
That's exactly why I have no use what so ever for Bob Dole. If ethanol were what they claim it would stand on it's own.
23. Joel Horn is just like the hookers who used to stand outside my Navy base on payday waiting to fleece the "Green Beans."
Click on "Here's Joel!" for some food for thought.
24. JBD,
The problem with the monorail bunch is they felt (as opposed to know) that the monorail was "good" for everyone. Since it was a "moral" position such considerations as; value, efficiency, cost vs. benefit, total cost of ownership were never considered in a realistic way. Exhibit A, the financing package.
Now this crowd is running the "good" and "moral" alternative energy effort. Since it is good for us to use biodiesel the economic realities of production and use will not be consider. Just that biodiesel is good and whatever it takes they will make sure we use it for our own good.
It not that they failed, they are agenda driven to the exclusion of real life.
25. Former SMP chief Joel Horn is a consultant in the biodiesel effort.
We're doomed.
26. If bio-diesel represents the future and produce fuel efficiently in a environmentally friendly manner, why is government funding the company. Let them live or die as other businesses in WA. Raise the money from their friends and relatives and start the company. Excuse me that is what they are doing. Raising the money from their friends and relatives who happen to be Democrats. Imagine that democrats have an entrepreneurial spirit. I can't imagine it.
27. And I believe that this legislation was passed as an
"emergency."
28. I really hate to see bio become a political foot ball. The simple fact is that we can not produce enough bio product to make much of a dent in fossil fuels. Bio is very green when you figure that CO2 released from fossil fuel burning is returning CO2 captured millions of years ago. It then adds to the current CO2 inventory. Bio fuels return CO2 captured within about one year. They just complete a current cycle. The typical process, as I know it, used to produce bio-diesel uses a lot of water. How that water is recycled has a lot to do with price and greeness. Other than that, bio production is quite well advanced already. WTF are they planning to do with this "seed money"? Spark plug type engines do not (yet) do well on most bio substitutes for gas. Here is a thought for the future. Bio may well be very efficent in the new fuel cell technology currently under development. The new hybrids are almost a joke. There is no way to recover the incresed cost. They do serve a purpose in that they are paving the way in electric propulsion technology. What is needed is a viaable replacement for the lead acid battery/gas engine combo now in use. Fuel cells running on bio fuels may be a way to have bio fuels actually become a significent player in energy technology.
29. John,
Bio may be an answer to some future fuel issue.
But as Mexico proved last week, there is more oil out there. The US's problem is that we have not made a new refinery or allowed any offshore exploration off of our own coast in the last 30 years.
It is just like power plants, per capita the US has 1/3 the number of nuclear power plants of any other modern industrial country. Our main problem is our own energy policies.
30. Hey guys (and gals) lets get the facts right. The story is not about bad biodiesel. The story is about bad people stealing from the public treasury. This should be opposed in all its forms including medicare fraud, social security fraud and of course MonoRail fraud. Do not make the mistake of slapping the industry when the people are really the issue.
31. I agree with Mike P--AND--i like the theory of new energy options and a blend of all different powers/sources to meet our energy needs & keep us more independent from the world's trifles and the world's suppliers who actually hate us;
however, when I see the likes of "energy players" like the former seattle monorail "Dream Team," i worry like a Dad whose kid just jumped into a car of teens with open beers--wondering--when will "that midnight phone call" come?!
32. Do these leeches just FOLLOW wherever the government grant money goes and jump on?????
33. "I'd do it legal," Lucky replied. "I learned too late that you need just as good a brain to make a crooked million as an honest million. These days you apply for a license to steal from the public. If I had my time again, I'd make sure I got that license first."
The quote is from Luciano, it was taken to heart by gyys like Paul Allen and Joel Horne. They are no less a blight on society than the former.
34. Guess what! It takes more energy to distill ethanol to make a fuel than there is energy in the ethanol itself. The only way ethanol fuels can survive is with tax subsidies and Federal tax credits. It does not make sense from an alternative energy stand point.
