New Biofuel Heating Oil Requirements Signed Off in Vermont

Posted by Jackson Stone on May 27, 2011 at 10:51 am

Biodiesel is a sustainable fuel made from natural products that can be blended with heating oil to burn cleaner and more efficiently than regular heating oil, saving consumers money. (image: biodieselkitsguide.com)

Vermont has signed off new regulations requiring heating oil to contain biodiesel to reduce emissions and make the state’s energy policies more sustainable.

The new rules follow moves in New York City to phase out dirty-burning number six heating oil by 2015 and number four oil by 2030 to reduce air pollution and improve residents’ health.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed the Vermont Energy Act of 2011 this week, biodieselmagazine.com reported Thursday. The broad-based energy policy establishes low sulfur and biodiesel requirements for all heating oil sold in Vermont. It is timed to match implementation of similar legislation in surrounding states.

“This bill speaks to the North East region’s continued commitment to using renewable, cleaner-burning fuels to heat their homes and businesses,” said Shelby Neal, state governmental affairs director for the National Biodiesel Board.”

“The Vermont policy builds on the strong partnership created between the home heating oil industry and the biodiesel industry to provide a more sustainable, cleaner energy solution through Bioheat.”

The new legislation requires all heating oil sold in the state to contain a 3 percent biodiesel blend (B3) from July 2012. This will increase to 7 percent (B7) by 2016. Vermont becomes the nation’s ninth state to pass sweeping biodiesel requirements.

Biodiesel is an advanced biofuel made from readily available, renewable resources. Biodiesel blends in home heating oil, a product called Bioheat, reduce particulate emissions, unburned hydrocarbons, and soot, which combine to greatly improve air quality in and around the home, biodieselmagazine.com reported.

Cleaner-burning fuel also prolongs the life of a homeowner’s oil furnace, making it more efficient and requiring less maintenance – meaning greater cost savings in the longer term.

Renewable Energy Vermont secretary Netaka White congratulated the state legislature on backing the new energy rules.

We got it done in Vermont; now it’s up to the Congress to make sure every gallon of heating oil in the country contains ultra-low sulfur and clean, renewable biodiesel.

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama outlined his vision for the country’s energy future, which included strong support for biofuels as a key energy source over the next decade and cutting oil imports by a third by 2025.

Heating oil dealers and customers stand to benefit if quality biofuels are widely produced and readily available at lower cost. But there are still questions around distribution networks that would need to be established for biofuel products to become a viable alternative fuel.