As New York moves ahead with work to establish aggressive regulatory and legislative pathways to reduce carbon emissions to comply with the CLCPA (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act), this project will be vital to ensure that both regulators involved with this process and legislators are fully educated on the ability of biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to provide immediate carbon and co-pollutant reductions in the transportation and thermal heat sectors. The CLCPA mandates the state reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050.
While full electrification (the preferred carbon reduction pathway among many stakeholders) is one viable pathway to reduce carbon emissions, it cannot be the only pathway as New York seeks to meet its aggressive carbon reduction mandates in both sectors. The assumption that electrification can serve as the primary pathway to carbon reduction must be tempered by science-based data which proves that biomass-based diesel (BMBD) use in both sectors can be a far more cost-effective and more immediate way to reduce emissions. These facts must also be bolstered by robust science and studies which show that biodiesel, renewable diesel and SAF use do not come at the expense of food, and that our industry is well-poised to provide ample supplies when demand increases.
The latter two arguments (food versus fuel and supplies) are often used by our opponents who cite both as a reason for the state not to establish BMBD pathways. This effort must also include continued outreach to dealers, suppliers and other stakeholders (as well as regulators and legislators) that BMBD is compatible with existing burners and that higher blends will very soon be certified for use in heating appliances, satisfying concerns that BMBD is a drop-in fuel that can be used at all blend levels with little or no modifications, thus making it an affordable alternative to costly heat pump installations. This educational effort must also be targeted to environmental justice (EJ) communities, who suffer the most from co-pollutants emitted by petroleum-based diesel used for both transportation and heating.