New York wants your product!

The City of New York is a billion gallon home heating industry. Recently two dozen industry leaders and feedstock suppliers from 10 states participated in the New York Bioheat “The Big Apple Tour” to see firsthand what exactly is happening in the big city. The event spotlighted New York’s love for biodiesel and Bioheat, featuring prominent users such as Central Park through the department of parks, and the city’s sanitation department. The National Biodiesel Board organized the trip to help showcase the outstanding potential for biodiesel.

 
Participants met with community leaders including Councilman Jim Gennaro, who was among those who championed and ultimately secured a 2 percent Bioheat mandate citywide, which will consume an estimated 20 million gallons of biodiesel annually; Peter Iwanowicz with the New York governor’s office, who is actively working to support a statewide requirement; New York Assemblyman Marc Alessi, whose enthusiasm for biodiesel was evident as he emphasized the critical need for renewable fuel alternatives.  

Among the comments from New York leaders, several stood out as capturing the value biodiesel can bring to their efforts.

Keith Kerman, chief of operations for the city’s parks and recreation department, said, “We will turn over all our core vehicles to diesel, mostly to use your product. B20 is a simple, quick solution. Why we’re not all doing it is beyond me.”

John Maniscalco, New York Healing Oil Association, said, “You’re my fix and my solution. You’re going to take my product and make it cleaner and greener.”

While in New York, leaders visited the New York Mercantile Exchange. Just steps from Ground Zero, the exchange handles billions of dollars worth of energy products and other commodities being bought and sold, and is the world’s largest physical commodity futures exchange. Participants also toured Metro Energy, one of New York’s leading biodiesel and Bioheat distributors. Metro Energy is currently building a biodiesel plant in the shadows of New York’s skyscrapers. The 100 MMgy biodiesel plant promises to be one of the largest in the country.  

New York Assemblyman Marc Alessi summed up the event and the power of biodiesel in the area by saying, “I find this extremely exciting. The future is here in terms of what we can do, whether legacy heating, electrical generation, in cars, in trucks. B20 blended into any system can grow our production and use; and it’s here, right here, right now.”