A project that increases the minimum amount of biodiesel that is added to Brazilian diesel is ready for voting in the Infrastructure Commission (CI). Currently, Law 13,033/2014 establishes 10% as a mandatory percentage, but PLS 262/2018 increases the percentage to up to 20% of biodiesel in the fuel composition, according to Agência Senado.
The project foresees a staggered increase: from 11% to 15%, with an increase of 1% per year from 12 months after the date of enactment of the law, and for regions with large biodiesel production this annual increase could reach 2% per year . The quota would only go from 15% (until reaching 20%) after a period of testing.
The proposal also provides that, within two years of the law being sanctioned, public transport in cities with more than one million inhabitants must have 20% of biodiesel.
When presented, the project was directed to two committees. In addition to the CI, it must be voted on by the Economic Affairs Committee (CAE), which will make the final decision on the matter — if approved, the text can go directly to the Chamber of Deputies, if there is no appeal for a vote in the Plenary of the Senate.
Substitute
At CI, the project's rapporteur, senator Fernando Bezerra Coelho (MDB-PE), was in favor of approval, but presented changes to the text. He suggested that the deadline for the increase to begin should be counted from 2019, and not 12 months after the law comes into force. He also withdrew the plan to create a working group to assess the feasibility of using pure biodiesel.
Bezerra highlighted benefits arising from renewable fuel for the preservation of the environment.
“It reduces both greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for global warming, and air pollution with particulates and sulfur molecules, substances that affect people's respiratory health, especially in large cities,” said the senator, remembering that biodiesel will significantly contribute to Brazil meeting the national goals assumed under the Paris Agreement to reduce carbon emissions.
Furthermore, Bezerra recalled that, from a socioeconomic point of view, biodiesel production favors the development of family farming and agribusiness, creating jobs and generating income in the countryside, with greater revenue for states and municipalities.
