. .

S.F. Approves Biodiesel Plant After Long Delay

San Francisco's fat can become fuel after a long-stalled biodiesel production facility on San Francisco's southeastern waterfront gained approval from the city's Port Commission.  The new operation, owned by Darling International Inc., will produce 10 million gallons of biofuel each year using leftover cooking oil.

Darling has been operating at Pier 92 since the 1960s, and already creates tallow by melting down bones, grease and other animal waste products from meatpacking facilities, grocers and restaurants. The tallow is then sold and used to make soap and animal feed, but will now also be used to produce biofuel.

The plan received unanimous support from the commission Tuesday after a brief round of largely supportive public comment. "We're taking a local waste product, converting it locally into biofuel that will be used locally to create local green jobs," Mark Westlund, spokesman for the city's Department of Environment, told commissioners. "That's about as green as you can get."