State (Biodiesel) Energy Initiatives Successful in IL & TX

From the Biodiesel Bulletin, January 2012:

Just before the holidays, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a five-year extension of the state’s biodiesel tax exemption. The omnibus jobs bill containing the biodiesel provision extends the incentive’s sunset date from December 31, 2013 to December 31, 2018. The incentive provides a complete exemption from the state’s 6.25% road sales tax for biodiesel blends above B10, a policy that is largely responsible for Illinois’ position as the nation’s largest domestic marketplace. Extension of the Illinois biodiesel tax incentive demonstrates the power of America’s advanced biofuel as a job and economic driver in the state. “We applaud Illinois leaders for their vision and long-term support of the state incentive and call on our national leaders to follow suit and extend the biodiesel tax incentive at the federal level,” said National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe. In addition, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) issued regulatory guidance that removes biodiesel from the U.S. EPA-mandated Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) program. The TCEQ guidance document indicates that biodiesel has no measurable negative impact on air quality, including NOx. Previous to this announcement, biodiesel blends between B6 and B20 required additization to achieve legal fuel status. With this announcement, biodiesel is no longer regulated for NOx, or any other type of emissions, in any U.S. state. A copy of the regulatory guidance document can be found HERE.