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Hawaii’s first mobile biodiesel station opened at Ma‘alaea Small Boat Harbor on Friday morning, offering 24/7 access to boats, cars and off-road vehicles needing to fill up.

Maui’s Pacific Biodiesel installed and will run the off-grid fueling station in the busy harbor where many tour boats have been running off biodiesel for years, according to a news release from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, which runs the harbor. Biodiesel is a cleaner burning fuel that can be used in any diesel engine instead of petroleum diesel fuel.

“These self-contained units are easy to install and move,” said Bob King, one of the founders of Pacific Biodiesel, in the release. “They can be quickly dropped into locations around the state to serve customers, like DLNR, who are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to fight the effects of the climate crisis.” 

Pacific Biodiesel is the nation’s longest operating biodiesel producer and recently received federal funding aimed to help expand the availability of locally produced biodiesel.

The state has also given the green light to another biodiesel fueling station at Honokohau Small Boat Harbor in Kailua-Kona on Big Island, which is set to open this summer.

To tap the new fueling station in Ma‘alaea, customers must first download a free app, according to the release. Anyone else with questions about opening commercial accounts or getting tax-exempt forms can call Pacific Biodiesel’s station manager, Christopher Long, at 808-283-1855.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation and the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation.