Use of clean heating oil.

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the use of clean heating oil

The bill requires heating oil sold or used in the City to contain: 5% biodiesel, by volume, starting October 1, 2017; 10%, starting October 1, 2025; 15%, starting October 1, 2030; 20%, starting October 1, 2034. The bill requires that, by 2020, the Administration must consult with, among others, representatives of the heating oil industry, the biodiesel industry, heating oil equipment manufacturers, and building owners and managers to conduct a survey identifying any commonly used heating oil equipment that might have a compatibility issue with using the required, higher-level biodiesel blends, and to make recommendations with respect to any such issues identified. NYCDEP will then be required to promulgate rules consistent with such recommendations, including exemptions or other special regulatory provisions for such equipment. The bill requires that, in 2023, DEP issue a report re-assessing whether there is sufficient biodiesel supply to meet the B10, B15, and B20 mandates identified in the bill. The bill expands waiver provisions already present in existing law (and adds new waiver provisions). For example, waivers would generally be available where NYCDEP determines that there is an insufficient supply of biodiesel to satisfy the relevant mandates, that the price of the required biodiesel blend significantly exceeds the price of oil, or where manufacturers of a particular boiler have noted that the boiler cannot accommodate a particular biodiesel blend without extensive modifications.