National Biodiesel Board Appoints Members to Sustainability Task Force
Group to Maximize Biodiesel’s Environmental Benefits, Ensure Responsible Resources Use
Jefferson City, Mo.– Small and large biodiesel producers, distributors, various feedstock suppliers and farmers will help lead the biodiesel industry with regards to sustainability. The National Biodiesel Board announced today the members of its inaugural Sustainability Task Force. Under the leadership of Emily Bockian Landsburg of Philadelphia Fry-O-Diesel, the Sustainability Task Force will work to ensure that the U.S. biodiesel industry continues to protect the environment, while producing jobs and reducing dependence on foreign oil.
The NBB Governing Board Chairman, Ed Hegland, appointed Landsburg to chair the 10-member volunteer task force of NBB members last month at the National Biodiesel Conference in Orlando.
"In order to develop best practices that will be adopted throughout our industry, we selected a task force that represents the various segments of the industry and regions of the country," said Landsburg. "Recognizing the need for input from critical stakeholders who are not members of the NBB, such as environmental organizations, government entities, and sustainability advocates, we are forming an Advisory Committee that will be heavily involved in this process."
The members of the task force are Kumar Plocher, Yokayo Biofuels, Ukiah, Calif., a small producer making and distributing biodiesel from waste kitchen greases the company collects; Victoria Carver, Iowa Soybean Association, Urbandale, Iowa - ISA has developed environmental management practices that address soil and energy conservation, run-off and pest and nutrient management; Rachel Burton, Piedmont Biofuels, Pittsboro, N.C., a small producer that grew out of a grassroots cooperative; Dennis Fisher, ADM, Decatur, Ill., Director of the Office of Compliance and Ethics and member of ADM's Sustainability Steering Committee; Darryl Brinkmann, American Soybean Association, Carlyle, Ill., a soybean farmer; Tim Maneely, U.S. Biodiesel Group, St. Paul, Minn., a production plant engineering and design expert with experience in soy, palm, and coconut oil supply chains, representing a large producer; Doug Smith, Baker Commodities, Minneapolis - has over 20 years in the rendering and oleochemicals industry, specializing in quality control and safety management; Jeff Trucksess, Green Earth Fuels, Houston, Texas, a regulatory and legislative expert with a background in international development; Brian Young, Imperium Renewables, Director of Sustainability for the 100 million gallon plant; and Landsburg, Philadelphia Fry-O-Diesel, Philadelphia, an organizer of the Sustainable Biodiesel Summit from a company that developed technology to convert the waste material of sewer trap grease into biodiesel.
"The members of this task force will lead the charge to develop industry-wide guidance to ensure that the biodiesel industry does not harm or deplete our natural resources," said Hegland. "I am looking forward to working with this dynamic group, in creating policies that are of vital importance to the biodiesel industry."
The Task Force will oversee the development and implementation of a comprehensive sustainability roadmap for the U.S. biodiesel industry that will:
- Quantify and maximize the environmental and social benefits of biodiesel
- Ensure that biodiesel produced and sold in the U.S. comes from sustainable resources
- Ensure the best environmental and safety practices are followed in the production of biodiesel
- Develop mechanisms to encourage responsible use of the world’s resources
- Discourage the use of non-sustainable agriculture practices worldwide in biodiesel production.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Energy (DOE) study has already shown soy-based biodiesel has a 78 percent carbon dioxide reduction. This study takes into account everything from planting the soybeans to delivering biodiesel to the pump. A 2007 update to the study found that for every unit of fossil energy it takes to make biodiesel, 3.5 units of energy are gained.
Further, the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), which was recently expanded under the 2007 Energy Bill, includes a requirement that biomass-based diesel, which includes biodiesel, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% compared to petroleum diesel fuel in order to qualify as an advanced biofuel under the program. Scientific, peer-reviewed studies from the USDA and DOE suggest that biodiesel will easily exceed this threshold. The NBB also has feedstock development programs in place that have the potential to bring sustainable agriculture to non-productive lands.
E-mails announcing the opportunity to serve on the task force were sent to over 10,000 stakeholders and NBB received over 200 pages of applications and nominations.
The NBB is the national trade association of the biodiesel industry and is the coordinating body for biodiesel research and development in the U.S. Its membership is comprised of biodiesel producers, state, national, and international feedstock and feedstock processor organizations, fuel marketers and distributors, and technology providers.
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Visit biodiesel.org/aboutnbb/sustainability for more on these members and NBB’s efforts, and biodiesel.org for more on biodiesel.
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