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Minnesota Enacts B20 Mandate for 2015; Begins Work for Mid-Range Ethanol Blends
14 May 2008
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has signed an omnibus bill, among the provisions of which are an increase in the state’s current 2% biodiesel mandate to 20% by 2015. According to the legislation, the mandate will increase to 5% on 1 May 2009; to 10% on 1 May 2012; and to 20% on 1 May 2015.
The bill also directs the appropriate state agencies to begin work to obtain Federal approval for the use of E20 and additional mid-range blends including, but not limited to, E30 and E50.
The 10% and 20% biodiesel levels are initially effective during the months of April, May, June, July, August, September, and October only; minimum content for the remainder of the year is 5%. However, if other conditions are met and the standards adequately addresses technical issues associated with Minnesota’s cold, the state commissioners of agriculture, commerce and pollution control may allow the higher specified biodiesel blend levels to be effective year-round.
The increases are not automatic. Approval for moving to higher blends is based on several conditions, including the existence of an industry specification or federal standard for each blend level; a sufficient supply of biodiesel, with at least 50% produced in the state, using feedstocks that are at least 75% produced in the United States and Canada (weather-related conditions permitting); an adequate blending infrastructure and regulatory protocol; and a supply of at least 5% of the biodiesel from non-traditional state agricultural resources.
Non-traditional resources include algae, waste oils, and tallow, as well as other future feedstocks being researched in the state, such as cuphea (an oilseed plant that can grow on marginal soils) and industrial hazelnuts.
The bill also explicitly excludes biodiesel produced from palm oil from contributing toward the mandate, unless the palm oil is contained within waste oil and grease collected within the United States or Canada.
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May 14, 2008 in Biodiesel, Ethanol, Policy | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: Jonas | May 14, 2008 at 09:07 AM
Racist - NO
Protectionist - Not Really - about 25% of our current fuel comes from outside North America and that # may go down even further as more Canadian sands come online.
Posted by: Joseph | May 14, 2008 at 10:47 AM
Racism? what nonsense.
There's nothing wrong with protecting a fledgling industry and ensuring employment at home especially when the oil might come from clear cut jungle by cheap labour. Local suppliers and users are the best for everyone all around.
Posted by: Mark M | May 14, 2008 at 01:34 PM
Most of the bio ind in the us is about feeding our own needs ourselves.
What will realy blow the roof tho is when the oil companies ident a fuel/power source that will remain profitable even after the subsidies turn to taxes.
Posted by: wintermane | May 14, 2008 at 02:21 PM
I believe that the biggest palm oil producers are Indonesia and Malaysia, and they are not known for their enlightened agricultural policies. Slash and burn would be a step up for them because that would probably be destruction on a much smaller scale.
Racist bill? Probably not.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/2006palm_oil.PNG
Posted by: Ziv | May 14, 2008 at 07:01 PM
In the current climate of biofuel bashing in the media, I'm very impressed that my home state would pass such a bill (only two "no" votes in the House). I attended the signing ceremony at the Capitol.
The American Lung Association of Minnesota is happy to see the state continue to move away from oil and toward less poluting alternatives.
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | May 15, 2008 at 06:46 AM
Ziv, according to the UNEP, palm oil production in West-Africa is sustainable and does not involve forest clearing. Moreover, 90% of all palm oil made in West Africa is made by smallholders for who it is a very important crop that strengthens their livelihoods.
Investing in palm oil there is one of the most efficient techniques to alleviate poverty.
So, even though SEASia is the leading producer, a blanket ban on all palm oil is pretty far-fetched and discriminatory.
In any case, the Chinese will import this palm oil and invest in it, which lowers the guarantees for social sustainability. It's precisely because of this threat that the EU or the US should step in: they at least would impose some basic standards and set the example, the benchmark. And the biodiesel market would have been a good instrument to work with in this regard.
Posted by: Jonas | May 15, 2008 at 09:36 AM
Yeah,
Palm oil is in almost 1 in 10 items on your grocery store shelves. Why not ask greenpeace what they think of palm oil in Africa:
http://thepanelist.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=668&Itemid=10036
If you really want to help the African palm oil farmer - Eat a chocholate bar.
Posted by: Joseph | May 15, 2008 at 10:22 AM
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Wow, what a racist bill.
So no sustainable palm oil sourced from poor smallholders in West-Africa.
Green racism?