December 10, 2015
BY The National Biodiesel Board
On Dec. 9 the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Commission voted unanimously to finalize the state’s clean fuels program (CFP). Oregon becomes the third jurisdiction on the West Coast—following California and British Columbia—to implement a comprehensive low carbon fuels policy for transportation. The policy is modeled closely after the California low carbon fuel standard and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent by 2025.
“Biodiesel is the most sustainable fuel on the planet,” said Don Scott, National Biodiesel Board director of sustainability. “We expect to play a major role in the Oregon program, just like we have in California and British Columbia.”
Oregon’s announcement leaves Washington as the only state on the West Coast without a program to reduce GHG emissions.
Rather than conducting its own lifecycle analysis, Oregon will generally use the values created in California, which have concluded that biodiesel decreases GHG emissions by 50 to 80 percent.
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“We are pleased that a regional carbon market has developed on the West Coast and that Oregon will primarily be using California values,” Scott said. “This should improve the efficiency and liquidity of the programs.”
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JetBlue along with its fuel partners marked the first-ever regular supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for commercial air travel in the region at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
The U.S. EPA on March 12 announced it has kicked off a formal reconsideration of 2009 Endangerment Finding, which forms the legal basis for GHG regulations, and is considering the elimination of the agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program.
NATSO, representing America’s truck stops and travel centers, SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers, and a variety of other groups are urging Congress to extend the “Section 40A" Biodiesel Blenders' Tax Credit.
SK Energy on March 10 announced that it had signed a contract with Cathay to supply no less than 20,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) until 2027. SK Energy has been supplying ISCC certified SAF to Cathey since November 2024.
The U.S. EPA on March 7 announced it will extend the compliance year 2024 Renewable Fuel Standard reporting deadline and signaled its intent to revise the 2024 RFS renewable volume obligation (RVO) for cellulosic biofuel.