Final advocacy push for biodiesel tax incentive in lame duck session

Congress has plenty of unfinished business to take care of before year’s end, and with lawmakers heading back to work after the elections, there is a narrow window of opportunity in the coming weeks to win reinstatement of the biodiesel tax incentive. Thanks to the biodiesel community’s united advocacy throughout the year, the biodiesel incentive continues to enjoy bipartisan support and remains in a good position to be reinstated if Congress can come together and begin moving bipartisan legislation. As in past years, the biodiesel incentive will likely be considered as part of a comprehensive tax extenders package that includes dozens of other tax breaks. Passage of the package will depend on a variety of factors, and it will be extremely important for all biodiesel supporters to reach out to their members of Congress and urge them to take action by year’s end.

The National Biodiesel Board has proactively advocated for reinstatement of the incentive since before its expiration in 2013, and there has been significant progress. In the spring, the Senate Finance Committee voted with broad bipartisan support to pass a package of tax extenders that included reinstating biodiesel retroactive for 2014 and through 2015. The bill stalled, however, as gridlock took hold in Washington and Congress shifted its focus to electoral politics. In early October, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, filed an amendment in early October to reinstate the incentive, but it again was caught up in partisan gridlock. Nonetheless, it is important that biodiesel supporters in the Senate are keeping the issue in front of their colleagues, and it is critical that all biodiesel supporters do the same by regularly contacting lawmakers to remind them that this is important unfinished business.

For more information contact NBB’s Washington DC office at 202-737-8801 or to reach your member call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121 and the House switchboard at 202-225-3121.