NBB Highlights Biodiesel's Environmental Benefits

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.– The National Biodiesel Board today reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable biofuels production and highlighted the numerous environmental and energy benefits of increased production and use of biodiesel.

“The facts are clear - America’s biodiesel industry is producing a sustainable fuel that is good for the environment,” said NBB CEO Joe Jobe. “The NBB opposes the use of non-sustainable agriculture practices worldwide. Our recently established Sustainability Task Force is working to ensure that the U.S. biodiesel industry continues to protect the environment, while producing jobs and reducing dependence on foreign oil.”

A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Energy (DOE) study has already shown soy-based biodiesel has a 78 percent carbon dioxide reduction. This study takes into account everything from planting the soybeans to delivering biodiesel to the pump. A 2007 update to the study found that for every unit of fossil energy it takes to make biodiesel, 3.5 units of energy are gained.

Further, the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), which was recently expanded under the 2007 Energy Bill, includes a requirement that biomass-based diesel, which includes biodiesel, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% compared to petroleum diesel fuel in order to qualify as an advanced biofuel under the program. Based on the USDA/DOE’s previous analysis, NBB fully expects biodiesel to exceed this threshold.

In addition, NBB noted the following:

• In the United States, more than 80% of estimated 2007 biodiesel production came from domestic soybean oil. The rest was divided among other feedstocks such as recycled cooking oil, fats, and vegetable oils from other oilseed crops.
• The USDA reports that U.S. acreage for crop production has not increased since 1959. Major land use changes in the United States that would endanger environmentally sensitive lands are not expected due to biofuels.
• The United States is the largest exporter of soybeans in the world, making the importation of soybeans from countries with non-sustainable agricultural practices less likely. Other nations have already been increasing soybean production for decades.
• According to U.S. Census data, the country currently has the equivalent of more than 400 million gallons of soybean oil sitting in inventory. The 2009 RFS goal is the use of 500 million gallons of biomass-based diesel, which includes biodiesel. Soybean oil only represents half of the domestic raw materials available for biodiesel production in the United States.

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 state, national, and international feedstock and feedstock processor organizations, biodiesel suppliers, fuel marketers and distributors, and technology providers.