Oregon Public Broadcasting

The opening Friday of an oilseed processing plant in Rickreall means gas stations across Oregon are getting closer to pumping only biofuel blends. Rob Manning has more.

When Oregon lawmakers approved a biofuel requirement last year as part of legislation to tackle global warming, they made the standard contingent on regional supplies being ready.

The new plant in Rickreall is expected to process enough oil seeds to produce three million gallons of vegetable oil for biofuels.

Coupled with other regional sources, the plant could get Oregon close to the threshold required to put at least a two-percent biofuel blend in gas tanks around the state.

Tomas Endicott with Willamette Biomass Processors, says the processing plant assures farmers there's a place to turn their canola and camelina seeds into fuel.

Tomas Endicott:  “This gives them another crop that is potentially a little more valuable, and something that they can alternate and rotate with the crops that they already produce.”

The Rickreall plant will also produce 56 million tons of oilseed meal per year, for livestock feed.