Introduction

In 2002, diesel fuel accounted for almost 23% of total vehicle fuel consumption in the United States.(2) Biodiesel, which is a relatively clean-burning, renewable fuel produced from new and used animal and vegetable oil, could be used to replace at least a portion of the diesel fuel consumed in this country. Biodiesel has three large advantages over regular petroleum diesel. First, it is not a petroleum-based fuel, which means that using biodiesel would reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Second, biodiesel is produced domestically, which means that using biodiesel will create jobs and contribute to local economies. The third major advantage of biodiesel is that it is cleaner than conventional diesel; biodiesel produces significantly less harmful emissions than regular petroleum diesel when burned in a combustion engine.(Note, however, that biodiesel emits higher levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx); pure biodiesel emits up to 13% more NOx than conventional diesel.)

Best of all, we already have much of the equipment and infrastructure necessary to use biodiesel. Biodiesel can be used in almost any normal internal combustion diesel engine with few special modifications, and it can be stored and transported using existing infrastructure and equipment already used for regular petroleum diesel. Biodiesel can be burned in its neat form (100% biodiesel) or it can be mixed with regular petroleum diesel in any concentration, such as 2% (B2), 5% (B5) and 20% (B20). Studies have shown that biodiesel blends actually increase the performance of diesel engines.(3) It is estimated that the current production capabilities of biodiesel in the U.S. is around 3 billion gallons annually.(4) This is sufficient to replace about 8 percent of the diesel fuel used on our highways. The model bill presented in this packet calls for statewide use of a low-blend biodiesel fuel, providing numerous economic, security, and environmental benefits for states.

This web site offers the tools necessary to introduce and pass legislation to encourage the use of biodiesel in your state. These tools include a sample bill, talking points, press clips, a fact pack, links, and other background information.

We may have other useful materials on this subject which are not posted on our web site. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or call our office in Madison, Wisconsin, at (608) 252-9800.

If you’ve used this site and found it helpful or, if you have suggestions about how it could be made more helpful, please let us know. Please feel free to use the sample bill text included here in your state. If you do, please notify us.