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Jan 5, 2007 10:39 AM

The Coalition of Northeastern Governors Policy Research Center (CONEG) wants to add five percent biodiesel to heating oil, according to information from the National Biodiesel Board.

The objective of the CONEG proposal is to identify laws, regulations, and policies that may act as potential impediments to the distribution, use, or sale of bioheat fuel in the 11 Northeast states and selected major urban areas in the region.

With guidance from the Northeast Regional Biomass Program (NRBP), CONEG officials said they see bioheat fuel as a top market for biodiesel. The Northeast states have a large heating oil market, comprising nearly 70 percent of the seven-billion-gallon heating oil market in the United States. In addition, there is a large heating oil marketing and delivery infrastructure with nearly 7,000 heating oil dealers, many of which are interested in learning about bioheat fuel, according to the information.

Dealers said that the product will help them retain or add new customers because it is environmentally preferable to heating oil, reduces dependency on imported oil, and requires no change to the customer's current heating equipment, according to the CONEG information. For more information, contact Rick Handley at 202-624-8464 at the CONEG center.