Representatives of Heating Oil Industry and American Lung Association Team Up to Urge Passage of Low-Sulfur Mandate by NY Senate

Posted by Josh Garrett on March 18, 2010 at 1:29 pm

The American Lung association in New York and the New York Oil Heating Council have teamed up to support a bill that would lower the sulfur content of heating oil in New York state. (image: nyoha.org and lungusa.org)

An opinion piece published on Wednesday by the Buffalo News encourages the New York State Senate to pass a pending bill that would lower the sulfur levels in home heating oil. The article’s two authors are an unlikely pair: the CEO of the New York Oil Heating Association, John Maniscalco, and the CEO of the American Lung Association in New York, Scott Santarella.

The article is short and to the point, and makes a case for the Senate to take action on the bill immediately, citing the reduction of particulate and greenhouse gas emissions:

The sulfur content permitted in heating oil in New York State is up to 15,000 parts per million, or about 1,000 times the amount allowed in diesel fuel for vehicles. Requiring a shift to the ultra-low sulfur heating oil would reduce sulfur by 99 percent. That is the equivalent to shutting down 2 ½ coal-fired generating plants in the state, and would dramatically reduce the amount of nitrogen oxides—key ingredients in the formation of smog—by as much as 30 percent.

The authors also cite the health and environmental benefits of reducing heating oil’s sulfur content that would come in the form of reduced sulfur dioxide emissions, which qualify as particulate emissions. The article goes on to argue that the diverse coalition in favor of the bill, which includes environmental and labor groups along with the heating oil industry, speaks to its broad appeal and overwhelmingly positive impact.

Speaking on behalf of the consumer, the article foresees cost savings, a smaller carbon footprint, and better quality heating for users of low-sulfur diesel:

Since ultra-low sulfur heating oil burns more efficiently and is readily available, the industry expects there could be as much as a $40 million annual savings from lower maintenance costs and as much as a 4 percent savings per household in equipment efficiencies. In addition, it makes heating oil on par with natural gas in environmental pedigree.

The bill the authors support, S1145c/A10108 was passed by the New York Assembly in June of last year, by a vote of 146-1. Since then, the bill has been the subject of sporadic debate while the Senate has considered it. Opponents of the bill are primarily business interests and petroleum refiners. The New York State Business Council has stated its belief that “this measure will increase prices on oil providers who will be forced to make major capital investments to meet the requirements of this bill. These costs will ultimately get passed on to consumers.”

The bill is one of several pieces of pending legislation on low-sulfur heating oil in Northeastern states, including Maine and New Jersey. Along similar lines, the City of New York announced an initiative to phase out use of high-sulfur and high-particulate residual fuels, known as nos. 4 and 6 heating oil.

The heating oil industry throughout the Northeast has been consistent in its support of legal action to require cleaner heating oil wherever possible. Industry representatives such as Gene Guilford of the Independent Connecticut Petroleum Association have called for consistent low-sulfur requirements across state lines to ensure smooth transition to lower-sulfur heating oil for refiners and wholesale suppliers.

With low-sulfur legislation making its way through the statehouses in many of the biggest heating oil-using states, those consistent regulations could soon become a reality.