National Biodiesel Board sees the cleaner side of Bush's GHG plan

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The President has at least one fan of his vague call last week to halt to greenhouse gas emissions growth in the U.S. by 2025. Kind of.
While Oxfam America said Bush was "ignoring reality" with the plan, the National Biodiesel Board has come out in favor of at least some parts of the plan. In a short statement issued last week (pasted after the jump) the NBB doesn't take a stand on whether the plan is the right one or the best one, it does say that biodiesel is a good way to reduce GHG emissions, and that growing more domestic biodiesel crops will "help America achieve this vital goal." NBB CEO Joe Jobe said that the biodiesel industry is ready to work with all politicians to "address climate change."



Press Release:

Biodiesel Addresses President's Call on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, President Bush announced an intermediate goal for reducing America's greenhouse gas emissions. This is in addition to growing bipartisan support in Congress for legislation to address climate change. Expanded production and use of U.S. biodiesel will help America achieve this vital goal.

"Biodiesel not only reduces our dependence on foreign oil, it is a valuable tool in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe. "Biodiesel significantly reduces carbon emissions when compared to conventional diesel fuel, and the biodiesel industry looks forward to constructively working with policymakers from both sides of the aisle to meet our shared goal of addressing climate change."

The overwhelming body of data demonstrates the environmental benefits of biodiesel. For every unit of energy it takes to make domestic biodiesel, 3.5 units are gained. The fuel also reduces lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions by 78%. In 2007 alone, biodiesel's contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions was the equivalent of removing 700,000 passenger vehicles from America's roadways. Lastly, the biodiesel industry fully expects to meet the 50% greenhouse gas reduction requirement for biomass-based diesel under the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).

Hundreds of U.S. fleets already use biodiesel and approximately 1,300 retail sites offer this cleaner burning fuel to consumers.

The NBB is the national trade association of the biodiesel industry and is the coordinating body for biodiesel research and development in the U.S. Its membership is comprised of biodiesel suppliers, state, national, and international feedstock and feedstock processor organizations, fuel marketers and distributors, and technology providers.

[Source: National Biodiesel Board]

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