More on biodiesel and taxes in NC
The BIG list was abuzz today with interpretations of the new biodiesel tax situation in North Carolina. There were some questions about how these recent changes, like how the tax exemption for homebrew biodiesel will be applied to SVO use. Matt Rudolph, the ED of Piedmont Biofuels explained that under NC law, veggie oil as fuel falls under the definition of biodiesel in Chapter 105/Article 36C of the NC General Statutes. So both the removal of the bond requirement (S540), as well as the tax exemption for personal use (S1272) apply to SVO.
So SVOers can also cheer, as their efforts to use renewable fuels in their vehicles have now become much simplified in NC. Of course none of this is perfect. I think there need to be broader tax exemptions for renewable fuels, a stronger focus on encouraging local, community-based fuel (and other energy) production and an attempt at setting sustainability standards for energy production. This is not easy, as the story of the Senate Bill S1272 illustrates: apparently this was originally a bill intended to clarify the definition of biodiesel. But somehow it morphed into a homebrewer tax exemption. Of course, from our perspective this was a great step in the right direction.