- WRITE YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
Since being implemented in 2005, the biodiesel tax incentive has played a key role in stimulating growth in the U.S. biodiesel industry, helping it become the first EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel to reach commercial-scale production nationwide. By helping biodiesel compete on a more level playing field with petroleum, the $1-per-gallon tax credit creates jobs, strengthens U.S. energy security, reduces harmful and costly emissions, diversifies the fuels market, and ultimately lowers costs to the consumer. There is a clear correlation between the tax incentive and increased biodiesel production, which has grown from about 100 million gallons in 2005, when the tax incentive was first implemented, to almost 1.8 billion gallons in 2013.
However, unlike billions of dollars in petroleum tax incentives – which are written permanently into the tax code – the biodiesel tax incentive is fraught with uncertainty. It has expired three times in the past five years, including on Dec. 31, 2013. This has created significant disruptions in the industry. The annual threat of losing the tax incentive has stunted growth, limiting biodiesel producers’ access to capital and investment while restricting their ability to expand and hire new employees. With only about seven years of commercial-scale production, biodiesel remains a young and maturing industry that needs stable tax policy to continue meaningful growth.
The biodiesel industry is calling on Congress to quickly pass a multi-year extension of the tax incentive, and we are urging all biodiesel stakeholders to contact their elected officials in Congress to advocate on the industry’s behalf.
http://www.biodiesel.org/policy/fueling-action-center/tax-incentive-action-page
- WRITE YOUR LOCAL GAS STATION/FUEL DISTRIBUTOR
We know that biodiesel is a great way to clean up our air and decrease our dependence on oil but now Bridgeport Biodiesel needs your help to make biodiesel fuel more widely available in your area! The best way to bring biodiesel fuel to your area is to simply ask your local service station to start carrying the fuel. We have heard from several service stations that they are interested in serving biodiesel but are concerned there is no demand for the fuel. If they start hearing requests from their customers this will change.
Same goes for your home. Home owners, please tell your heating oil distributor you would like to switch to biodiesel/heating oil (known as Bioheat). Renters, please ask your landlord/management company to use bioheat instead of straight petroleum. A few voices can make a huge difference… So go ahead and ask!
BP/Amoco | Arco | ExxonMobil | Shell | Chevron | Texaco
Below is a sample letter that you can send to the national and international fuel distributors urging them to begin offering biodiesel in diesel fuel, and a list of their contact pages:
To Whom it May Concern: I am writing to you today to request that you provide Biodiesel fuel at your local pumps. The use of Biodiesel fuel as opposed to petroleum dramatically reduces harmful emissions that cause environmental problems such as global warming, acid rain and smog. Biodiesel reduces CO2 emissions by over 78% compared to petroleum diesel. In fact, even blended with petroleum diesel, Biodiesel significantly reduces emissions. Biodiesel can be used alone or mixed in any amount with petroleum diesel fuel. A 20% blend of Biodiesel with diesel fuel is called “B20” a 5% blend is called “B5” and so on. Additionally, the plants used to make Biodiesel feedstock actually absorb more CO2 as they grow than the Biodiesel produces when it is burned. This means that in the lifecycle of Biodiesel production and use, no new carbon is produced. Biodiesel handling and use is far less damaging to the environment than petroleum fuel, and is particularly superior in the event of a spill or leak. Biodiesel can be stored anywhere that petroleum diesel fuel is stored. All diesel fueling infrastructure including pumps, tanks and trucks can be used with Biodiesel. Biodiesel is safer to transport. Biodiesel is a clean burning fuel and complies with the Clean Air Act and other anti-pollution regulations. It is recognized by the EPA as an alternative fuel and is the only alternative fuel that has successfully completed Tier 1 and Tier 2 Health Effects Testing under the Clean Air Act and meets clean diesel standards established by the California Air Resources Board. Throughout the world, governments are beginning to realize that in terms of pollution, health, and geo-political stability, petroleum is no longer the fuel of choice. Also, being a finite resource, petroleum oil will only become more expensive as it becomes scarcer. Please join us in stepping up to the future by providing us with clean burning Biodiesel fuel. Thank you,
WRITE YOUR LOCAL HEATING OIL SUPPLIER
NEW YORK
– Able Energy http://www.ableenergy.com
– Boro Fuel Oil Company, INC https://www.borofueloil.com/index.mv?screen=contactUs
– Castle Oil Corporation http://www.castleoil.com/Company/Contact.aspx
– Champion Energy Corporation http://www.championenergy.com/contact/index.html
– Lewis Oil Company http://www.championenergy.com/contact/index.html
– Nulite Fuel Oil Company, LTD. http://www.nulite-ny.com/contact.htm
– OSI – Oil Services, Inc. www.info@osi.ny.com
– Plymouth Rock Fuel Corporation http://www.plymouthrockfuel.com/contact.phpNATIONAL
– Citgo – http://www.citgo.com
– Hess – http://www.hess.com/rm/refining.htm
– Petro – http://www.petro.com
– Sunoco – http://www.sunocoinc.comTo Whom it May Concern: I am writing to you today to ask that you provide bioheating oil as an environmentally friendly option for people to heat their homes. Bioheating fuel is a blend of Biodiesel and heating oil. It is a natural, renewable resource that is made in America that can help us move towards energy independence. Laboratory and in-home testing has confirmed that Bioheat burns cleaner and keeps heating systems running longer than standard heating oil alone. As an added bonus, fuel and combustion odors may diminish with the use of this blended fuel. The many benefits of Bioheat heating oil brings to home, health and the environment are well worth its long-term use. Bioheat fuel may add a few dollars to annual heating bills, which is the case with almost all new applications of a natural resource. The benefits of Bioheat fuel heavily outweigh any additional costs. There are a number of important reasons for our country to be using biofuels. Perhaps the most important and most debated is that no one knows how long our world’s petroleum resources will last. We do know that petroleum is finite, and when the oil has been depleted we must have alternatives ready to keep our country moving. Biofuels are made from renewable sources. Developing the technology to produce them now will ensure an ample supply of transportation and space heating fuel in the future and provide assurance against the uncertainty surrounding the petroleum resource timeline. There are a number of benefits to using biofuels aside from guaranteeing the longevity of the supply system. First, biofuels are produced domestically, and the feedstocks for them are grown domestically. This helps reduce our country’s trade deficit and creates jobs in our country, both of which are good for our economy. Producing our fuels domestically also improves our energy security; we become less dependent on the strategic, political, and economic whims of other countries. With the continued Middle East turmoil it is important to remember how vulnerable we are and how heavy our reliance in on imported oil. Key among the reasons for rising oil imports is the limited domestic resource base of crude oil. Finally, producing and using biofuels is much better for the environment than burning fossil fuels. Biofuels produce fewer harmful emissions during production and combustion and they reduce life cycle carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by over 78%, which is very important for reducing the build up of greenhouse gases. Please help us step up to the future by providing Bioheating fuel as an alternative to petro-heating fuel.
- Support our restaurants
Nearly 4000 restaurants in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens have made a commitment to donate their used cooking oil to be recycled into biodiesel. You can support our mission to manufacture and supply eco-friendly biodiesel fuel to New York City by frequenting the restaurants in our service roster. Look for the TSB sticker in restaurant windows and please support the restaurants who are contributing to biodiesel and clean air in New York City.Please support the early biodiesel adopters in your area
These companies have shown great leadership in putting the biodiesel where it counts…in their tanks.
As a result their vehicles are some of the cleanest on the road!Acquisition Initiatives
A Real Good Plumber
American Apparel
A-1 First Class Viking Movers and Storage
Absolute Piano
Baldor Specialty Foods
Big Apple Circus
Bazat Trucking
Bootleg productions
CAT Entertainment
C. Kenneth Imports
Citizen’s Energy
Down East Seafood
Event Management Group
Fierman’s Produce
Gourmet Guru
Green Market
GreeNow
HBO
iMove Green
Masjid Adam
Movers Not Shakers
New Line productions
NY Sunworks
Paramount Pictures
Quixote Studios
Reverb
Rubin Bros Produce
Serenity Movers
Solar One
Storage Maxx
The Bowery Presents
The Dave Matthews Band
The Municipal Arts society of NY - BUY A BIODIESEL VEHICLE
Biodiesel runs in any conventional, unmodified diesel engine. No engine modifications are necessary to use Biodiesel.
Volkswagon
Jeep Liberty
Mercedes BenzWRITE A LETTER TO AUTO CORPORATIONS THAT NEED TO MANUFACTURE DIESEL CARS:
Ford
General Motors
Toyota
DaimlerChrysler
Honda
Hyundai
Mitsubishi
MazdaHere is an example letter that you may feel free to copy, modify, and send.
To Whom it May Concern: I am writing to you today to request that you manufacture more diesel vehicles, especially cars. I would like to purchase a diesel vehicle so that I can run it on clean burning Biodiesel fuel as opposed to petroleum-based fuels. Biodiesel dramatically reduces harmful emissions that cause environmental problems such as global warming, acid rain and smog. Biodiesel reduces CO2 emissions by over 78% compared to petroleum diesel. In fact, even blended with petroleum diesel, Biodiesel significantly reduces emissions. Additionally, the plants used to make Biodiesel feedstock actually absorb more CO2 as they grow than the Biodiesel produces when it is burned. This means no new carbon is produced in the lifecycle of Biodiesel production. Biodiesel will stimulate our economy; bring new jobs to both the factory and the farm and a new, forward thinking industry to the United States. Throughout the world, governments are beginning to realize that petroleum is no longer the fuel of choice in terms of pollution, health, and geo-political stability. Also, being a finite resource, petroleum oil will only become more expensive as it becomes scarcer. Biodiesel can help us become more energy independent. Biodiesel has superior lubrication quality than that of diesel fuel. It increases engine life and can be used to replace sulfur, the acid-rain-causing lubricating agent in petroleum diesel. Engines running on Biodiesel run normally and have similar fuel mileage to engines running on diesel fuel. Auto ignition, fuel consumption, power output, and engine torque are relatively unaffected by Biodiesel. Please help me step up to the future by manufacturing diesel vehicles that can be fueled by clean burning Biodiesel. Thank you,
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Biodiesel Links:
About Biodiesel – Wikipedia
National Biodiesel Board, our trade organization. An excellent source for information on Biodiesel and the industry.
Discussion group for grassroots Biodiesel issues
National Renewable Energy Laboratory – The US Department of Energy Biodiesel Research