Deep-Fried Bananas

An April 3rd, I.R.S. Ruling makes about as much sense as deep frying a banana and thinking it is healthy. Notice 2007-37 would dramatically undercut the efforts of the biofuels industry and would just open the door for more Big Oil subsidies. In the 2005 Energy Policy Act, Congress passed a biodiesel tax incentive extension. Members in Congress, in cahoots with Big Oil, also passed a provision to provide incentives for Thermal De-Polymerization (TDP), a system of refining petroleum by using plastics, and food wastes (pig offal and carcasses). This provision was never debated by Congress.

Now, ConocoPhilips with help from their friends in the I.R.S. has an end around to receive the same $1.00 a gallon subsidy as real biofuel manufacturers. The I.R.S. ruled that because TDP uses animal byproducts in its production, it qualifies as a biofuel. This makes as much sense as lighting a match to see if you have a gas leak. The process is nothing more than dumping animal carcasses into the petroleum as it is being refined.

Biodiesel has undergone over 15 years of testing, to assure its quality, safety, and environmental impact. TDP oil has not undergone these same tests. It is not known what impact this type of oil would have on the engines running it, or what impact it would have on the environment. Likewise, this process wouldn’t add a single gallon of refining capacity. Furthermore, if TDP is proved to be not environmentally friendly, or if it has a negative impact on engines, all biofuels will be maligned. Also teaming with ConocoPhilips in this endeavor is Tyson Food Incorporated. This move gives Tyson Food Incorporated, a cheap and easy means of disposing of its hazardous waste. ConocoPhilips and Tyson Foods claim that the end product is “renewable diesel” has as much validity as claiming light cigarettes won’t give you cancer.

North Carolina needs to prevent a similar event from happening here. North Carolinians need to support Senate Bill 1272, a measure that would clearly define Biodiesel, according to the actual industry standards. We need to prevent another industry end-around, and further violations of commons sense.