Celebrate Biodiesel's Green Attributes on National Biodiesel Day

Celebrate Biodiesel's Green Attributes on National Biodiesel Day   Dear Daniel, Rudolf Diesel, inventor of biodiesel. Everyone thinks of green on St. Patrick’s Day, but the day after is an important opportunity to celebrate biodiesel’s green benefits in America. March 18, the birth date of biodiesel inventor Rudolf Diesel, is National Biodiesel Day. It is a reminder of the environmental benefits of the fuel that Diesel introduced in late 19th Century. Overall, the U.S. biodiesel industry is playing a constructive role in helping to promote energy independence. The 500 million gallons of fuel the U.S. biodiesel industry produced in 2007 offset nearly 12 million barrels of oil. Some have inaccurately described the environmental attributes of biodiesel. The fact is that: Soy-based biodiesel reduces lifecycle carbon dioxide reductions by 78 percent, as shown by analysis conducted jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy. This takes into account everything from planting the soybeans to delivering biodiesel to the pump. A 2007 update to this analysis found that for every unit of fossil energy it takes to make biodiesel, 3.5 units of energy are gained. It was no surprise that President Bush described biodiesel as the most promising renewable fuel when he spoke to a global gathering of renewable energy leaders on March 5 in Washington, D.C. Last December, with broad bipartisan support, Congress passed and the President signed an energy bill that dramatically expanded the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). The RFS sets minimum standards for the use of renewables in our nation’s fuel. At the urging of NBB, this landmark initiative for the first time specifically requires a renewable component in diesel fuel. As the expanded RFS was being considered in Congress, the biodiesel industry worked closely with the environmental community in support of a requirement that biodiesel under the program reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent compared to petroleum diesel fuel. We have every confidence our fuel will meet this aggressive greenhouse emission standard. Lastly, it is worthwhile to note that the U.S. biodiesel industry is promoting job creation and economic opportunity in rural America. A recent study concluded that in 2007 alone, the biodiesel industry supported over 21,000 jobs and added over $4 billion to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). America’s biodiesel industry is producing a sustainable fuel that is good for the environment, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and encourages job creation. The biodiesel industry will continue to play a constructive role in helping America meet our shared energy and environmental goals.