New York governor signs bill requiring biodiesel in heating oil

September 13, 2017

BY The National Biodiesel Board

New Yorkers in downstate counties will soon benefit from cleaner air due to the increased use of Bioheat fuel in heating oil. Legislation signed Sept. 13 by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo requires Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties to follow New York City’s lead by blending at least 5 percent biodiesel (B5) into all home heating oil sold by July 1, 2018.

“New York has long been a leader in recognizing the environmental, public health and economic benefits of biodiesel, not only in transportation applications but in the heating oil market as well,” said National Biodiesel Board CEO Donnell Rehagen. “We commend Gov. Cuomo for signing this important bill that will provide cleaner air for more New Yorkers by improving emissions from heating oil. Increasing the use of Bioheat in the nation’s largest heating oil market also supports local jobs in the clean energy sector.”

Advertisement

Biodiesel was the first alternative fuel designated as an advanced biofuel by the U.S. EPA and has been verified to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent compared to petroleum.

Assemblyman Steve Englebright and Sen. Phil Boyle sponsored the legislation, which is supported by a broad range of industry and environmental advocates due to its environmental and public health benefits.

Advertisement

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 2012 that increases to 5 percent on Oct. 1, 2017. Now the entire New York City Metropolitan Area, representing approximately 70 percent of the state’s heating oil market, will 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. 

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.

Related Stories

The biodiesel industry has been facing turbulence, but the release of long-overdue policy could course-correct.

Read More

The U.S. House of Representatives early on May 22 narrowly passed a reconciliation bill that includes provisions updating and extending the 45Z clean fuel production tax credit. The bill, H.R. 1, will now be considered by the U.S. Senate.

Read More

U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on May 21 stressed the agency is working “as fast as humanly possible” to finalize a rulemaking setting 2026 RFS RVOs during a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Read More

Clean Fuels Alliance America on May 22 delivered a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, urging him to set the 2026 RFS biomass-based diesel volume at no less than 5.25 billion gallons and allow continued growth in the 2027 volumes.

Read More

Luxury North Dakota FBO, Overland Aviation—together with leading independent fuel supplier, Avfuel Corp.— on May 19 announced it accepted a 8,000-gallon delivery of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on May 12.

Read More

Upcoming Events

Sign up for our e-newsletter!

Advertisement

Advertisement