JEFFERSON CITY, MO - Today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a
bill that incentivizes increasing blends of biodiesel. The bill, championed by
Senator Patrick Joyce and Representative Eva Dina Delgado, extends the current
B10 sales tax exemption until 2023 and then increases the biodiesel blend level
subject to the tax exemption to B13 in 2024, B15 in 2025 and B19 in 2026. This
major initiative establishes Illinois’ commitment to reducing carbon emissions
and incentivizing the use of domestically produced, renewable fuel.
The legislation was spearheaded and guided
through the legislative process by the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) with
support from Clean Fuels Alliance America and several of its member companies,
including REG and ADM. Clean Fuels CEO Donnell Rehagen applauded the effort and
the collaborative nature of the work by those involved.
“This law continues to build on the biodiesel
leadership that Illinois, through ISA, has demonstrated in the past,” Rehagen
said. “This innovative tax exemption program in Illinois, which has been in
place since 2003, has drawn hundreds of millions of gallons of biodiesel into
the state. This modification, signed by Governor Pritzker today, will expand
that demand and solidify Illinois as a leading source and user of better,
cleaner biodiesel.”
Clean Fuels Director of State Governmental Affairs
Floyd Vergara added, “I am extremely proud of our team at Clean Fuels for the
support they gave to the process. As we watched things unfold around this
legislative effort, it was evident the coordination between all of the
stakeholders was going to get this bill past all the hurdles. Kudos to ISA
staff and board, as well as our Director of State Regulatory Affairs Jeff Earl
and Technical Director Scott Fenwick for their hard work that led to this
success.”
Illinois is currently fourth among all states in
biodiesel production and third in consumption with 160 million gallons consumed
annually. Efforts to pass this legislation were aided by the
Trinity Health Benefits Study that included the city of Chicago. In
Chicago, the study found that switching to B100 would decrease diesel
particular matter-related cancer risks by up to nearly 1,600 cases and result
in over 31,000 fewer or lessened asthma attacks per year and save over $677
million per year in avoided health care costs.
“The successful passage of our biodiesel
legislation is a proud accomplishment for the Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG)
and the 43,000 soybean producers in our state,” said Illinois Soybean
Association Chairman, Steve Pitstick. "This hard-won victory is the result
of ISG's unrelenting collaboration with bill sponsors, numerous partners across
agriculture, biofuels producers, transportation stakeholders and clean air
advocates, who worked together to present a viable and immediate solution to
combat carbon emissions in the transportation sector."
ABOUT CLEAN FUELS ALLIANCE AMERICA |
Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil, and animal fats, the clean fuels industry is a proven, integral part of America’s clean energy future. Clean Fuels Alliance America is the U.S. trade association representing the entire biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel supply chain, including producers, feedstock suppliers and fuel distributors. Clean Fuels receives funding from a broad mix of private companies and associations, including the United Soybean Board and state checkoff organizations.