Biodiesel Blend Could Mean Cleaner Heating Oil for NJ Winters

Biodiesel fuel may soon play a bigger role in New Jersey’s energy future, potentially enabling homeowners to use a cleaner product to heat their homes each winter.

In a bill divisive to the oil industry, the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee yesterday advanced a measure (A-3161) that would require increasing the amount of renewable biofuels to be blended into home heating oil sold in New Jersey.

To its advocates, the legislation would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the performance of oil-burning furnaces. The big question is whether it will lower heating costs for consumers, an issue disputed by lobbyists for oil refiners and the petroleum industry.

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