Biodiesel blocked by enviros?

A San Francisco company’s plan to start producing renewable fuel hit an unexpected snag when environmentalists objected to the project.

Darling International Inc. has been creating tallow at its facility on the Bay for decades and is gearing up to generate biodiesel. The fuel burns cleaner than conventional types and is blended into fuel used by all of the city’s 1,500 diesel vehicles, but a conservation group is concerned about the location of the business and its methods.

Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates, along with neighbors of the planned biodiesel operations, appealed to the Board of Supervisors after the Planning Department determined the project is exempt from environmental review, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.

One of the chief concerns is the potential harm to wildlife should the plant have a spill into the adjacent Islais Creek Channel. Additionally, highly flammable chemicals are used in the production process.