From policy updates to auto maker announcements to discussions on fuel supply and demand — there was plenty of important news for petroleum marketers at the recent National Biodiesel Conference & Expo.

In fact, the event’s opening session featured a panel discussion that included PMAA President Rob Underwood, who said he believes biodiesel has a great future.

“If it’s a quality fuel and competitively priced, our members are going to sell it all day long,” he told a crowd of several hundred people.

Here are the conference’s top takeaways for petroleum marketers.

Petroleum and biodiesel industries mix

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) celebrated its 25th anniversary at the conference, and it kicked things off with a panel unlike any it had previously hosted. The discussion included the leaders of the three major petroleum organizations: PMAA, SIGMA and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM).

While those groups have had their differences with the biodiesel industry, the overriding theme was that they have mostly favorable views of biodiesel. One point of contention has been the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), but they all said it’s more the ethanol component they take issue with rather than biodiesel.

Ryan McNutt, CEO of SIGMA, said his association opposed the RFS when it was first proposed, but when it was adopted, they quickly embraced it.

“The RFS has been something that’s been very, very good for our membership as a whole, and biodiesel has played a big role in that,” McNutt said.

AFPM President and CEO Chet Thompson said embracing renewable fuels could help the petroleum industry improve its public image.

“We need to change that narrative if we want to thrive in the years to come,” he said.

That’s true with transportation fuel and in-home heating. Underwood said biodiesel’s cleaner-burning properties have helped heating oil jobbers, many of them small businesses, compete against major natural gas companies.

“The future of this industry is Bioheat,” he said. “For the future of both of our industries, we want to work together.”

Higher blends for heating oil

Staying in the heating oil market, recent federal actions to level the playing field against subsidized foreign biodiesel have greatly curtailed imports of Argentinian biodiesel. That has led some in the Northeast to worry about supply.

Jon Scharingson, Executive Director, Sales and Marketing, for REG, said at the conference that the domestic industry can meet demand in the Northeast. REG, for example, is already sending product there by rail and is exploring new opportunities.

“From large terminals to medium-sized heating oil jobbers or dealers, they know there will be a market,” he said.

John Huber, President of the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA), said biodiesel blends of up to B5 are “ubiquitous” in the Northeast for home heating, and there’s growing interest in using B20 blends and higher to push back against the natural gas industry.

More B20 vehicles

Several major OEMs were at the conference to express their support for biodiesel, and B20 in particular, including Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Caterpillar and John Deere.

Ford announced that its extremely popular F-150 truck will include a diesel option for the first time and will support B20 blends.

“Adding the new F-150 3.0L Power Stroke diesel to our lineup of diesel models supporting the use of clean, renewable, low-carbon B20 biodiesel blends, complements Ford’s sustainability goals, and we are excited to bring this product to market for our customers,” Dominic DiCicco, Ford’s Manager of Environmental Policy and Fuel Quality, said in a press release.

Another highlight was a semi-truck that runs on 100 percent biodiesel serving as a backdrop to the main stage.

A major theme from the OEMs and others at the conference was that fleets and drivers continue to like the significant sustainability benefits offered by biodiesel. That was backed up by a new study done in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, Purdue University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It found that biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 72 percent and fossil fuel use by 80 percent compared with petroleum diesel.

A bright future

At 25 years old, the biodiesel industry may still be young compared with petroleum, but it has matured quickly. That contributed to a sense of optimism throughout the conference.

“We went from zero gallons to 3 billion gallons in 25 years,” said Kent Engelbrecht, Chairman of NBB’s governing board. “There’s no telling what’s next.”

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Photo courtesy of the National Biodiesel Board.