A California state senator has introduced legislation that would require his state to buy motor oil with 25% biodegradable content. Senator Lou Correa, Democrat-Santa Ana, says his bill, entitled "Senate Bill 916, Biosynthetic lubricants: procurement: sale" would protect the environment from petroleum-based oil that spills onto roads and runs into waterways when it rains. Senate Bill 916, co-authored by two other senators, Black and Galgiani, would require the new biobased motor oil in state vehicles and state contractors’ vehicles by January 2016. After January 1, 2017, ff the bill is passed, all motor oil sold or distributed in the state for use in passenger cars, light-duty trucks or vans would need to meet the 25 percent standard and the sale of oil that does not meet the minimum 25% standard for biodegradability would be prohibited.
The bill defines a “biobased product” as a product that is any of the following: (1) Composed, in whole or in significant part, of biological products, including renewable agricultural materials, algae, and forestry materials. (2) An intermediate ingredient or feedstock material or compound made in whole or in significant part from biological products, including renewable agricultural materials, including plant, animal, and marine materials, including algae, or forestry materials, that are subsequently used to make a more complex compound or product.
The bill further defines a “biosynthetic” lubricant as “a lubricating oil that contains a biobased product.”
“Biobased content”, as defined in the bill, is the amount of biobased carbon within a biosynthetic lubricant, expressed as a percent of total weight (mass) of the organic carbon within the product, as determined by using the ASTM D6866-12 (standard test methods for determining the biobased content of solid, liquid, and gaseous samples using radiocarbon analysis), as that test method read on January 1, 2013.
SB 916 would require a state agency and any person or entity contracting with, or receiving a grant from, a state agency that purchases lubricating oil, on and after January 1, 2016, to purchase only biosynthetic lubricant that meets or exceeds minimal standards for biodegradability, as defined. The bill would require the Department of General Services, by January 31, 2016, to provide language for a state agency to include in a contract or grant implementing these provisions. The bill would authorize a state agency, city, county, city and county, or district to purchase biosynthetic lubricant that meets or exceeds minimal standards for biodegradability, as specified.
According to the Bill, California consumers purchase approximately 150 million gallons of motor oil every year.
