Heating Oil News

Biodiesel industry to run national ads

June 15, 2011

Viewers of the Sunday morning political talk shows, accustomed to being besieged with ads from investment banks, oil companies, agribusiness and other well-heeled industries, will see a smaller and lesser-known player enter the mix this week.

The biodiesel industry is launching its first nationwide ad campaign, the centerpiece of which will be a 30-second TV ad that will run in the morning time slot.

The ad touts biodiesel as a clean-burning alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel that can help reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels, create jobs and slash tailpipe emissions. In the U.S., it is typically made from vegetable oils and animal fats and blended at low levels with petroleum diesel.

The effort arrives as the industry is experiencing a nascent comeback after a period of deep losses. Last year, when lawmakers let a $1 per gallon tax credit expire, industry production plummeted 42 percent and nearly 8,900 jobs were lost, according to a study cited this week by the National Biodiesel Board, a trade association.

Texas, the largest biodiesel-producing state, has a number of plants in the Houston area. The state was particularly affected by the downturn. But once the credit was reinstated, production has been rebounding.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent designation of biodiesel as an “advanced” biofuel under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard has also helped boost demand.

The TV ad, set in Dallas, will feature the new slogan, “Biodiesel. America’s Advanced Biofuel.”

Click here to watch the TV ad and read the full story from FuelFix.