BioFuels Journal

Jefferson City, MO—One of Senator Kit Bond’s many interests outside his job in Washington is in innovative agriculture.

He grows chestnut trees on his land in Mexico, Mo., experimenting with new varieties.

The trees take a lot of care, but after 10 years of cultivating them, they are healthy and thriving.

It’s with that same passion that he has cultivated the biodiesel industry, a renewable fuel for diesel engines that has thrived in recent years.

His leadership has helped the industry grow nationally – but it will always have its roots in Missouri.

From its headquarters in Jefferson City, Mo., today, the National Biodiesel Board presented Senator Christopher Bond, R-MO, with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The nonprofit trade association hosted a community celebration event honoring the career of the retiring Senator.

“America is striving for energy security and clean air, and Senator Bond deserves our thanks for helping to make biodiesel viable,” said NBB CEO Joe Jobe.

“He’s our longest-standing champion in making our nation’s first commercially available advanced biofuel a reality.”

The National Biodiesel Board is headquartered in Missouri because that’s where commercial biodiesel development began, thanks in part to Bond’s early support of research at the University of Missouri, and collaboration with the Missouri Soybean Association.

“I want to thank you all here at the National Biodiesel Board for this award and for your support,” said U.S. Senator Kit Bond.

“In 40 years of public service, I have seen many ideas come and go.

"Biofuels, or generating energy from crops we have in abundance is an idea that is here to stay.

"It makes sense environmentally, it makes sense from a business perspective, and it means we don’t have to import as much energy from foreign sources.

"Congratulations to all of you for seeing that and for advancing biodiesel and this young, promising industry.”

In addition to supporting critical federal efforts, such as the passage of the biodiesel tax incentive and the Renewable Fuels Standard, Bond secured funding for major biodiesel research initiatives, including:

• A four-year Department of Transportation research program to address biodiesel feedstock development, engine testing, fuel quality, and glycerin uses

• A DOT biodiesel infrastructure development and petroleum industry education project

• A Federal Transit Authority program for studying biodiesel usage in urban transit buses

• A Department of Energy program to research the future potential of algae for biodiesel production

“It’s because of projects like these that we can say with authority that biodiesel is one of the most thoroughly tested fuels on the market, and consumers can have great confidence in it,” Jobe said.

“Today the Big 3 automakers all support B20, a 20 percent blend of biodiesel, which is in part due to Senator Bond’s leadership in biodiesel research.”

Bond also worked with NBB and St. Louis Metro, the transit authority in the state’s largest city, to establish the first B20 mass transit demonstration in the U.S.

He was also instrumental in establishing NBB’s valuable feedstock research partnership with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis.

A resident of Mexico, Mo., Bond was instrumental in locating Mid America Biofuels, one of the state’s largest biodiesel plants, less than a mile from his home.

As for the Senator’s chestnut trees, they probably won’t be used for biodiesel production anytime soon.

“I suppose you could make biodiesel from the oil, but no one from the biodiesel plant has called to ask me about it,” Bond said.

For now, he’ll just keep selling them to his biggest customer -- a Chinese restaurant in town.

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