New York Remains Committed to Bioheat® and Biodiesel
February 6, 2016
Whether for transportation fuel, heating oil, or simply to help clean up the air, New Yorkers are committed to using biodiesel and the biodiesel-based home heating oil alternative known as Bioheat®. Read about a few of the leaders driving demand for U.S. soybean oil through increased biodiesel usage in the Big Apple.
Craig Converse, farmer from Brookings, and Todd Hanten, farmer from Goodwin with Paul Nazzaro from the Nazzaro Group and Steven Levy with Sprague Operating Resources.
New York City Councilman Costa Constantinides
Constantinides is committed to doing everything he can to address clean air issues in New York City. Some children miss 10-30 days of school due to asthma, says Constantinides.
Currently, the city requires 2 percent biodiesel to be blended with all heating oil used there. He believes that increasing that concentration can be a big part of cutting down on kids’ missed class time.
“I look for the tangible things that we can do locally to help improve our air quality in New York City,” he says. “My mission in 2016 is to get fuel standards from B2 to B5 and create a timetable to B10. I believe in cleaner air.”
City of New York Department of Sanitation
The department has been using biodiesel for approximately 10 years – a B20 blend in the summer and B5 in the winter. It is pushing to move to B20 year-round.
“The quality is great. The service is great,” says Deputy Commissioner Rocky DiRico. “Hopefully all of the fleets in the city will follow suit.”
New York Heating Oil Association (NYHOA)
NYHOA is excited about Bioheat because it’s the cleanest fuel option available. The association monitors policies, regulations and issues that could affect its members, and works with the government and other industry groups to build solutions. It is an advocate for Bioheat and acts as the voice of the Bioheat fuel industry.
“We bring Bioheat into schools and then educate them about what biodiesel does,” says Rocco Lacertosa, CEO of NYHOA.
New York City is committed to biodiesel, which means Midwestern soybean farms are putting their investments to work from coast to coast. New Yorkers experience some of the coldest winters in the country and still turn to biodiesel to keep warm and keep the snow off their roads. Going forward, decision makers want even higher blends, and the National Biodiesel Board is working to help them make the necessary infrastructure changes with the help of U.S. soybean farmers.