energy security, and diversifies the Northeast’ s energy mix. These fuels are compatible with existing infrastructure, enabling households and businesses to transition to cleaner energy without costly system conversions.
Equipment manufacturers have responded to these advances with remarkable innovation. Underwriters Laboratories updated its UL 296 Standard in 2022 to include liquid fuel-fired burners designed for use with biodiesel blends ranging from 20 to 100 percent. Major manufacturers, including R. W. Beckett Corporation and Carlin Combustion Technology, now offer burners compatible with up to 100 percent biodiesel or renewable diesel. Energy Kinetics has announced UL-listed burners for its full line of residential heat and hot water boilers, rated for 100 percent biodiesel( B100). These systems can utilize indoor fuel tanks where cold weather performance is not a concern. For outdoor installations, modern cold flow additives effectively address gelling concerns, countering outdated misconceptions about biodiesel reliability. Beyond biodiesel, renewable diesel is gaining ground in our market, and innovative cellulosic feedstocks are advancing. For example, Ethyl Levulinate( EL), developed by Biofine Developments Northeast, is a net-negative emissions biofuel derived from waste biomass, including sawmill byproducts, forest residues, and the cellulosic fraction of municipal solid waste. This supports sustainable
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forestry management and reduces landfill waste. Taken together, these advanced fuels reflect the industry’ s ongoing innovation in leveraging existing infrastructure to achieve lower emissions, improved system reliability, and reduced energy costs.
Utilization of renewable liquid heating fuels by our industry helps ensure year-round demand for American biofuels, which supports farmers, creates good-paying jobs, and strengthens rural economies. When transportation-related use of biofuels drops in winter, our demand peaks, creating stable markets that keep biofuel producers and feedstock growers viable all year long. This countercyclical demand pattern provides essential economic stability for American agriculture at a time when farm incomes face significant pressure.
NEFI members are Main Street businesses deeply embedded in their communities. Some are so trusted, they literally hold keys to their customers’ homes. They employ tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs including heating fuel delivery drivers and service technicians who show up in the worst weather conditions and are always ready to respond to a“ no heat” call, whether it be at night, on weekends, or even Christmas or New Year’ s Eve.
NEFI recognizes the need for a diverse energy mix that includes all fuels and technologies, especially in the energy-constrained Northeast. Like the rest of the country, Northeast states can expect unprecedented growth in electricity demand due to data centers, artificial intelligence computing requirements, and the onshoring of manufacturing driven by the administration’ s trade policies. As a result, we expect that most additional natural gas capacity entering the Northeast through expanded pipeline infrastructure will likely be purchased and consumed by power generators, technology companies operating data centers, and large commercial and industrial end users. The reality is that firms advocating natural gas pipeline expansion are primarily motivated by the need for more electrons, not home heating oil conversions.
We support removing unnecessary regulatory and permitting barriers that would allow
Americans greater access to the fuels of their choice while enhancing energy security and reliability. Home heating oil can and should be part of that diverse energy mix. We urge support for a level playing field that allows all fuels and technologies to compete on their merits and ensures consumers have access to the energy that is right for their families.
As the discussion of Section 401 moves forward and its role in Northeast pipeline expansion is reevaluated, we ask that the Administration and EPA consider the facts about today’ s heating oil: clean, renewable, and delivered by trusted local businesses. The characterization of heating oil as“ dirty” or environmentally inferior is not merely inaccurate. It undermines farmers and businesses large and small that have invested billions of dollars in environmental and efficiency improvements, threatens to distort energy policy decisions, and misleads the 12 million Americans who rely on heating oil for warmth and comfort each winter.
When EPA evaluates the scope of Section 401 certification and considers how states assess water quality impacts, we urge
28 SEPTEMBER 2025 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www. fueloilnews. com