New Jersey has its first retail biodiesel pump. Located in Maplewood, NJ, it’s operated by Woolley Fuel Company, and Sprague Energy Corp. is providing the biodiesel.

The move gained the praise of the National Biodiesel Board:

“While a number of fleets in New Jersey, including the Department of Transportation, have used biodiesel blends for many years, this pump opening marks the first time biodiesel will be sold directly to consumers in the state,” said Joe Jobe, NBB CEO. “We commend Woolley Fuel and Sprague Energy for their leadership in making this retail pump a reality and fully expect it to be well-received by the community.”

In October 2008, New Jersey’s Medford Township School District celebrated ten years of using B20, a 20 percent blend of biodiesel, in school buses. The retail pump will sell B5, a 5 percent blend of biodiesel. The company has plans to increase the blend to B20. Nationwide, there are more than 1,200 retail pumps selling biodiesel.

The two companies in this venture have a combined more than 220 years in the energy business. Woolley has been supplying Maplewood homeowners with coal, ice and wood since 1924. Sprague Energy, around since 1870, was the first petroleum company to become a BQ-9000 Marketer of biodiesel.