The nation’s toughest regulatory board has affirmed biodiesel is the lowest-carbon fuel. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted to readopt the Low Carbon Fuels Standard, which requires a 10 percent reduction by 2020 in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. The vote also put in a regulation governing alternative diesel fuels (ADF).

The regulation puts in place a three-step process beginning in 2016 to create a path to bring cleaner diesel substitutes into the market. This regulation also establishes requirements and fuel specifications for biodiesel to ensure the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from biodiesel use will not increase, and will be reduced over time. Biodiesel and other ADFs can help producers achieve their target under the LCFS.

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) welcomed the vote and pointed out biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent and often by as much as 81 percent versus petroleum, giving biodiesel the best carbon score among all liquid fuels.

“This is not an academic exercise. It’s where the rubber hits the road in determining where Californians get their fuels for the next 20 or 30 years,” said NBB’s Director of Sustainability Don Scott. “It’s the difference between continuing the status quo of oil dependence and stimulating the development of cleaner alternatives. CARB should be commended for its leadership and for taking a bold approach. We are proud that biodiesel is part of the solution.”