John Plaza bypasses the gas station these days.

When his pickup's gas gauge nears empty, he pumps biodiesel — made in his own plant — into his tank.

Plaza expects to fill up hundreds of other vehicles when his processing plant, Seattle Biodiesel, officially opens sometime this spring. It will be the first wholesale biodiesel plant in King County.

Plaza yesterday proudly showed off the plant to nearly two dozen alternative-fuel advocates, including U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Cantwell, D-Wash., plans to introduce the 20/20 Biofuels Challenge legislation, calling for the United States to increase production of biofuels to 20 billion gallons by the year 2020.

"I think that goal is achievable," she said. "Americans, particularly here on the West Coast, are paying too much at the gas pump for fossil fuel."

Biodiesel fuel is made from animal or vegetable fats, or waste oils from cooking. The most common source is soybean, but Plaza imports canola and soy oils from Iowa.

At about $3.67 a gallon, biodiesel is more expensive than gasoline or petroleum-based diesel, but is preferred by environmentalists because it smells better and pollutes less. Because it is biodegradable, spills aren't a problem.

The big advantage, Cantwell said, is that the plants to make the fuel can be grown in the United States.

Dan Freeman said he already has nearly 1,000 retail customers who purchase biodiesel from his Dr. Dan Fuelworks in Ballard. He said more manufacturers need to embrace biodiesel.

Although it is slowly changing, some automobile manufacturers void warranties if operators run on 100 percent biodiesel instead of a mix of traditional petroleum-extract diesel.

Freeman purchases most of his biodiesel from producers outside the state.

Describing the process to make biodiesel, Adrian Higginbothem, a farmer from Eastern Washington, said the first thing needed is a crusher to extract oil from canola and mustard plants.

Farmers in the state already plant those as part of their crop rotation even though there isn't a strong market for either, he added. A small crushing plant would cost about $1 million.

When Cantwell asked how to get investors to help, venture capitalist and Seattle Biodiesel partner Martin Tobias said, "Take the taxes off biofuels."

He later said the developing biofuel businesses had the potential to grow like Microsoft or Boeing.

Afterward, Cantwell said she was pleased with what she had heard from the group.

"Washington is taking a leadership role in biofuels," she said. "I'm impressed with how much the state is doing. We're taking a leadership role."

Sherry Grindeland: 206-515-5633 or sgrindeland@seattletimes.com

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