February 12, 2006

In the news, I think they did a pretty good story. Heck, they even got a good picture.... although I really have to talk to my doctor about Rogaine.

They made me out to be more of a good samaritan than really I am. I would obviously prefer vegetable oil be tax-free. However, I think it's important to follow the rules, especially if you want to change them.

I did get a letter from the premier acknowledging what I'm up to, so at least veggie oil is recognised as a legal fuel. That's a step. I think with some persistance, we can get them to make it tax free like in Quebec.

Noel Chenier/Telegraph-Journal. Jake Palmer with his canola-fueled diesel 1996 Volkswagen Jetta, with the vanity licence plate that spreads the message that he uses vegetable oil for more than cooking. He estimates he saves up to $2,500 annually.

Mia Urquhart

Telegraph-Journal

Published Monday February 12th, 2007

Appeared on page C6

Since he gets his fuel for free, Jake Palmer has been asking government officials for years if they would like him to pay fuel tax. Last year, the government finally took the Rothesay resident up on his offer. He now pays a higher rate of fuel tax on the used vegetable oil that powers his 1996 Volkswagen Jetta than drivers do for regular gasoline.

Every quarter, he adds up how much vegetable oil he burns, multiplies it by the tax rate of 16.9 cents a litre and sends a cheque to the minister of finance. He believes it's a small price to pay for the environmental benefits of running on used cooking oil."I also believe that this is just one area where we can use waste products for energy," explained Palmer."If we took the time, I'm sure we'd find that much of the waste we generate could be a valuable resource. Whether it's paper, compost or the hot water that goes down the drain when we shower, we need to explore ways to capture the energy we throw away every day."

Palmer's part is capturing used vegetable oil and fueling his car with it. It all began when Palmer went online a few years back to see about getting better mileage for his vehicle. As a "hard-core do-it-yourselfer," Palmer was intrigued by converting to vegetable oil. He soon learned that it wasn't that complicated a process and set out to convert his 1996 diesel Jetta. Then he converted his father's Mercedes and most recently, his father-in-law's Jetta. He had gotten so adept at the process, that he converted his father-in-law's car in about five hours at the Enviro Fair in Hampton in October - and much of that time was spent talking, he said.

It's not a complicated process and except for a small toggle switch on the dashboard, there's no visible clue that the car is any different. Even behind the wheel, one wouldn't know, said Palmer. Fuel efficiency and power are the same on vegetable oil as on diesel, he said. And, as long as the oil is filtered properly before use, there's no difference in the amount of long-term maintenance. The only difference is that anyone catching a whiff of the exhaust can detect the odour of whatever was cooked in the oil. Palmer said that's why he had to stop getting his oil from a certain fish eatery in the market. He prefers canola oil because it runs more cleanly.

Most recently, he's been getting his oil from a Chinese food restaurant.

He said he uses the same volume of oil as he would diesel - and he gets the oil for free since it would just be thrown out anyway. He filters the oil first and stores it in a 60-litre tank in the trunk of the car. One of the most important features of the conversion is an electric heating system that heats the oil to about the same temperature as a cup of coffee. Since the oil has to heat before being used, Palmer initially starts his vehicle on diesel and runs the first couple of kilometres on diesel before flipping the switch to canola. His record is 11 weeks on one tank of diesel. That's almost 10,000 km between visits to a gas station. The rest is all vegetable oil.He estimates that he saves between $1,500 and $2,500 each year.

Palmer isn't upset about having to pay fuel tax on his cooking oil. After all, he was the one who continuously offered to pay. He said it's only fair that he help pay for the provinces roads - like every other driver in the province who pays through gas taxes. At 16.9 cents - the same levied for diesel fuel - he pays more than those who fill up on gasoline. The rate for gasoline is 14. 5 cents. The response he received last year from the government explains that used vegetable oil is considered "motive fuel," which is anything that is not gasoline and "can be used for moving or operating any internal combustion engine or machine..."

By contrast, the province of Quebec ruled that vegetable oil is not taxable as a fuel as long as it's properly filtered and users process the oil themselves