Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Editorial: Biodiesel crackdown nabs dangerous felon
DMV spends six weeks on effort to safeguard Southwest Virginians from cleaner air.
From the RoundTable blog
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An accused felon is on the loose in Floyd County, putting Southwest Virginia at risk of ... cleaner air!
Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles agents took every precaution in apprehending Samuel Floyd Bolt. They kept him under surveillance for six weeks, finally arresting him last week for allegedly selling biodiesel fuel without a license, a misdemeanor.
Even more dangerous to the people of Virginia, he did it without paying state fuel taxes, a felony.
Like many accused felons, Bolt says it is all just a misunderstanding. He had been making biodiesel for his own use. When he had more than he needed, he started selling it to a few people at prices far below the pump. He did not know he needed to acquire a license and pay fuel taxes.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse, Mr. Bolt. At a time when Richmond is scrambling to find dollars to pay for transportation improvements, it can hardly afford to give up your pittance. That revenue might pay for a segment of highway, even if it is so small it defies measurement.
All right, so it is not as bad as all that, despite the superficial ridiculousness.
The DMV might have overreacted a tad -- six weeks? -- but it does not get to choose which laws it enforces. The licensing requirement in part ensures safe production and distribution of hazardous materials. Bolt says he has applied for a license and will comply with safety requirements.
Meanwhile, the existence of grassroots energy production should excite Southwest Virginians. Biodiesel is an environmentally friendlier alternative to oil-based fuels. It spews fewer greenhouse gasses and recycles what would otherwise be wasted used vegetable oils. The exhaust even smells better.
Government awards plenty of breaks to big oil; maybe now it should be little oil's turn.
Lawmakers plan to meet next month to discuss transportation. They should consider supporting innovators, like Bolt and his customers, who would ease the nation's oil addiction and combat global warming. The federal government, American carmakers and the oil industry sure aren't doing much.
