Downstate New York to introduce biodiesel obligation for heating oil

In New York, downstate New York counties are set to join New York City as national leaders in providing cleaner air through increased use of biodiesel in home heating oil, a product called Bioheat fuel.  

Legislation passed yesterday by Assemblyman Steve Englebright (A.6954-A) and Senator Phil Boyle (S.B5422-A) would expand the state’s commitment to renewable energy by requiring heating oil sold in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties to contain at least five percent biodiesel (B5) by July 1, 2018. The bill now awaits action by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

New York City, the largest municipal consumer of heating oil in the country, has already taken advantage of biodiesel’s benefits by instituting a citywide 2 percent biodiesel requirement in October of 2012 that increases to 5 percent later this year.  This legislation would ensure the entire New York City Metropolitan Area, representing approximately 70 percent of the state’s heating oil market, would have a 5 percent biodiesel blending requirement.

Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats, biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that can be used in existing diesel engines without modification.  To be called biodiesel, the fuel must meet the strict quality specifications of ASTM D6751.  It is the nation’s first domestically produced, commercially available Advanced Biofuel. NBB is the U.S. trade association representing the entire biodiesel value chain, including producers, feedstock suppliers, and fuel distributors, as well as the U.S. renewable diesel industry.  Biodiesel is produced in nearly every state in the nation and supports more than 64,000 jobs nationwide.