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Bioheat: An environmental and cost-effective way to heat your home
By MICHAEL SEILBACK

How does improving air quality while decreasing our dependency on foreign oil sound to you? What if both were possible ­ and for not a penny more than you already pay for home heating oil. This could be reality under a tax credit being considered by the Spitzer administration and the state Legislature.

How could this be? The answer is simple: bioheat.

Bioheat is a combination of conventional heating oil and biodiesel which can be purchased in different blends. Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel that contains no petroleum and is produced from vegetable oils and animal fats. A typical biodiesel blend is B20, which denotes a blend of 80 percent conventional oil and 20 percent biodiesel. Since it is a blend, a key advantage of bioheat is the ability to use it in pre-existing heating systems safely, with little to no modifications.

The tax credit under consideration by the Assembly and state Senate would reduce the cost of bioheat to a level that is competitive with traditional fuel. By allowing for a tax credit for each gallon purchased, this progressive proposal would translate into a savings of approximately 20 cents per gallon of the cost of bioheat purchased by the average taxpayer.

The increased use of this cleaner heating oil will result in better air quality and healthier communities. You may not realize that traditional home heating oil is essentially the same as diesel fuel, except there are virtually no limits to the amounts of sulfur it can contain. Sulfur dioxide has been listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a human carcinogen, shown to trigger asthma attacks, and is associated with ambient levels of both ozone and fine particles. Millions of New Yorkers are at risk from its effects.

For many residents of the lower Hudson Valley air quality is already an issue. In fact, according to the EPA, 89 percent of the state’s population lives in a county where air quality does not attain federal health standards. The EPA has declared Westchester, Rockland, and Orange counties along with Long Island and New York City to be in “nonattainment” for fine-particle pollution.

Further, increased use of biodiesel will provide a boost to the lagging upstate economy. Since soybean and vegetable oil are two of the most frequently used components of biodiesel, the tax credit will help New York’s agricultural community expand this sector of its industry. Currently, this product is mainly produced outside of the state. The tax credit will not only provide an incentive for consumers to use biodiesel, but it will also help establish a New York market that will eventually become self-sufficient. This small investment will provide significant returns in improved air quality and public health. It is imperative that our elected officials act on this crucial measure.

Michael Seilback is senior director of public policy and advocacy for the American Lung Association of New York state. For information about the association, call (800) 586-4872 or visit www.alanys.org.

 

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