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Stokesdale businessman Dean Price had a rare opportunity when he was invited by the White House to explain his vision of a country powered by locally grown biodiesel.

That was in August. Now, he’s been asked back.

That’s got to be a sign of interest, Price figures.

“It’s sort of like dating,” he said. And this would be a second date.

The Clean Energy Economy Forum is scheduled for today in northern Virginia. Among those expected to be present are Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, as well as other top Washington officials involved in agriculture and energy, according to the invitation.

“This one is going to allow us to get our story across even more,” Price said.

It’s the story of a truck stop — and how an experiment there could be replicated across the country.

At their Red Birch truck stop near Martinsville, Va., Price and a business partner, Gary Sink, have made and sold biodiesel made from locally grown canola.

He believes the model easily could be copied.

“You’ll actually see thousands of these things around the country,” he said. “The stars are lining up for this to happen.”

The potential benefits, he said, are immense.

Instead of sending vast sums of money abroad to buy oil, the money stays home .

It also provides a valuable new crop for farmers while pumping money into struggling rural areas.

“Canola will take the place of tobacco as the cash crop of the future,” Price said.

Finally, it creates jobs, is beneficial to the environment and can help lead to energy independence, he said.

“It’s win-win-win-win-win,” he said.

But that future needs action from Washington.

It requires what Price describes as a leveling of the playing field between biodiesel and petroleum.

The price we pay at the pump for gas doesn’t reflect the true cost of oil, he said. It leaves out huge costs, such as the bill for war in the Middle East, he said.

In short, there should be higher taxes on gas and better incentives for biofuel, Price said. Some biofuel incentives are renewed on an annual basis, with the resulting uncertainty making it hard to attract investment.

“The best thing that could happen to this country is $8 gas. Because that would (cause) us to get off of it,” he said.

He hopes his business will help provide a model to show Washington how such a system could work.

And, perhaps, businesses like his could spread across the country. “That’s how we’re going to be energy independent,” he said.

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or jason.hardin@news-record.com