The first US national biodiesel sustinability standards, Baseline Practices for Sustainability (BPS) in Biodiesel, have been released for public review by the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance. The 24 page document has been made available on-line to allow the public to give feedback on its proposals. It will be available at http://www.fuelresponsibly.org for 45 days from 19th August.

According to the SBA this is the first national effort at developing biodiesel sustainability practices through a stakeholder work group process.

Over the past year, alliance members worked diligently to develop definitions and standards for sustainability in three key areas: environmental, social and economic concerns. The four work groups (Feedstock, Production, Distribution, End Users) were represented by family farmers, environmental NGOs, representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, fuel distributors, biodiesel producers, academics, trucking fleets and renewable energy consultants.

“All biodiesel is not created equal, so establishing baseline practices for biodiesel production and distribution is critical to creating transparency in the marketplace and allowing consumers to know if the biodiesel they are purchasing is part of the solution or part of the problem,” said Jeff Plowman, Executive Director of the SBA. “The bottom line is that we need to support our local farmers and educate the public on the difference between sustainable and non-sustainable biodiesel. The baseline practices address issues including energy security, agrochemicals, land use, greenhouse gas emissions, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), biodiversity, energy conservation and community benefit.”

After the 45-day open forum period, the SBA will incorporate public feedback and changes to the BPS document. The draft document will then be discussed and ratified at the “Sustainable Biodiesel Stakeholders Summit 2008” on 17th September.