Congress Votes to Reinstate Biodiesel Tax Incentive

It's back...
The U.S. House Tuesday reinstated the biodiesel tax incentive for 2012 and 2013 as part of a year-end fiscal package that avoided the so-called "fiscal cliff." President Obama is expected to quickly sign the bill into law.

The $1 a gallon biodiesel tax credit expired on Dec. 31, 2011. The two-year extension was made retroactive, so it will run through the end of 2013.

"It's been a long year with a lot of missed opportunity and lost jobs in the biodiesel industry. But we're pleased that Congress has finally approved an extension so that we can get production back on track," said Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs at the National Biodiesel Board.

A recent study found that the industry would have produced an additional 300 million gallons this year with the tax incentive in place. That would have supported some 19,213 additional jobs, for a total of 83,258 jobs supported by the industry nationwide, according to the study, conducted by Cardno Entrix, an international economics consulting firm.

Looking to next year, the study found that the industry would support some 112,078 jobs nationally with the tax credit in place versus 81,977 without it. Additionally, the return of the incentive is projected to increase household income by some $1.6 billion next year while supporting an additional $3.1 billion in GDP.

Along with these economic benefits, Steckel emphasized that biodiesel is helping reduce America's dependence on imported petroleum and making us less vulnerable to global petroleum markets that continue to disrupt the economy and threaten our national security, while significantly reducing tailpipe pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

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EPA sued over biodiesel push

The American Petroleum Institute has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its September-announced mandate that 1.28 billion gallons of biodiesel be used in 2013. The group says using biodiesel will drive up the cost of regular diesel and says biodiesel producers have a history of engaging in fraudulent activity related to selling fuel credits to oil refiners.

The EPA touts biodiesel as a clean resource of turning vegetable oil and waste oils into usable diesel and as a way to break dependence on foreign oil.

The 1.28 billion gallons is a 28 percent increase from the 2012 requirement, API says. The group also filed a petition to the EPA asking for reconsideration of the mandate.

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