California has cleared the way for storing biodiesel blends of up to 20 percent in underground storage tanks, removing the last major barrier to biodiesel. Through an effort lasting more than ten years, the National Biodiesel Board and the California Advanced Biofuels Alliance provided the State Water Board with data showing B20 compatibility in underground storage tanks.
NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen says the change is "a major victory towards biodiesel's mainstream integration into the California fuel supply."
The California State Water Resources Control Board amended storage regulations on August 6. The regulations now say that diesel containing up to B20, "shall be recognized as equivalent to diesel for the purpose of complying with existing approval requirements."
The language reverses the previous wording of the regulation, which required tank owners to prove that every component of the tank was compatible. The California Air Resources Board says biodiesel reduces greenhouse gases by at least 50 percent, and often by as much as 81 percent compared to petroleum.