Mukilteo studies biodiesel limits

MUKILTEO – Biodiesel fuel can be stored and sold only at service stations in Mukilteo, and that’s how it should stay, the city’s planning commission said Thursday.

The commission’s decision is a setback to businesses that would sell biodiesel door-to-door from the back of fuel trucks. In August 2005, the city told a Seattle businessman he could no longer sell biodiesel from the back of his pickup at the city’s farmers market.

Service stations are ideal for distributing biodiesel because they already have infrastructure in place to deal with spills and other complications, planning commissioners said at their Thursday meeting.

“Simply stated, sell fuel in fuel-selling areas,” commissioner Tom McGrath said.

The City Council has the final say on whether to change city codes to allow the sale of biodiesel in other areas. The commission will forward its decision to the council as a recommendation.

The council has not set a date to discuss the issue, Mayor Joe Marine said.

Dan Freeman of Seattle sold biodiesel at the farmers market from a 415-gallon tank in the back of his pickup in spring and summer 2005. He’s considering expanding his company, Dr. Dan’s Fuel Werks, with a new service station in Snohomish County.

Freeman believes vendors should be able to sell biodiesel outside of service stations. It’s not as toxic as regular fuels, he said.

“Biodiesel is refined vegetable oil, and it’s not a hazardous material,” Freeman said. “So I kind of wonder what their motivations are for only having it at service stations.”

Biodiesel is made with vegetable oil from crushed seeds, which sometimes is mixed with petroleum diesel. Freeman said his biodiesel contains just 1 percent petroleum. Some grades of biodiesel contain a greater concentration of petroleum.

Service stations in Mukilteo can be built on some commercially zoned land, as well as land tagged for high industry. Developers must apply for conditional use permits to build service stations in light-industrial or downtown areas. Service stations are not allowed in residential areas.

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.