The National Biodiesel Board sent a letter to leaders of the Farm Bill Conference Committee, reiterating the industry’s strong support for passage of a new five-year Farm Bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018) that includes funding for programs that support biodiesel. The letter specifically asked the conference committee to ensure reauthorization and funding of the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, the Biodiesel Education Program, and the National Oilheat Research Alliance.

Kurt Kovarik, vice president of federal affairs for NBB, wrote in the letter, “Given the industry’s agricultural roots and benefits provided to U.S. farmers and rural communities, programs supporting biodiesel are an appropriate and important piece of the Farm Bill. The biodiesel industry has a particular interest in two existing Farm Bill Energy Title programs—the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program and the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels—as well as reauthorization of the National Oilheat Research Alliance.”

The letter points out that there are approximately 100 biodiesel production plants spread all across the U.S. Biodiesel producers include farmer-owned cooperatives and other farmer-owned companies, agribusinesses and independently owned biodiesel producers. Many of the biodiesel production facilities in the United States are located in rural areas, and the feedstocks used to produce biodiesel are grown or originate in rural areas.

Download a copy of the letter.

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. 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.