The Portland Press Herald / The Maine Sunday Telegram

February 26

Low-sulfur heating oil is gaining supporters

ETHAN WILENSKY

— By -LANFORD

Kennebec Journal

Maine heating-oil dealers and some lawmakers support moving the state to cleaner-burning fuel, but concerns about supply are driving debate in the Legislature.

The Natural Resources Committee on Thursday considered two bills that would lower the sulfur content in fuel oils sold in Maine.

Having enough supply of lower-sulfur oils in 2014 ''is not a big concern,'' said Sen. Seth Goodall, D-Richmond, Senate chair of the committee and sponsor of one of the bills. ''2011 is more uncertain.''

Under federal law, the state is required to come up with a plan to reduce haze at three designated scenic areas: Acadia National Park, Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge Area and Roosevelt Campobello International Park.

Burning cleaner heating fuel would emit less sulfur dioxide, and could help reduce hazy conditions.

Goodall's bill, L.D. 1662, would reduce the permitted sulfur content in industrial No. 4 and No. 6 fuel oils from current levels, which are as high as 20,000 parts per million, to 500 ppm in 2014, then to 50 ppm by 2018.

Another bill, L.D. 1632, sponsored by Rep. Steven Butterfield, D-Bangor, would require the sulfur content in No. 2 heating oil sold in Maine to be reduced to 15 ppm by July 1, 2011. Home heating oil being sold now has a sulfur content of about 2,000 ppm.

Butterfield's bill would also require that home heating oil contain a minimum of 2 percent biofuel beginning in 2011, and would impose a trigger that would raise that percentage to 5 percent if more than 20 million gallons of biofuel is produced in Maine -- from wood, for example -- and to 10 percent if more than 40 million gallons is produced.

The governor would be able to waive the bill's requirements if prices for either biofuel or low-sulfur heating oil get too high.

Mainers burn more heating oil per capita than in any other state. About 400 million gallons are burned here every year, said Jamie Py of the Maine Energy Marketers Association. Py's group, formerly known as the Maine Oil Dealers Association, supports the more ambitious bill that would impose requirements beginning in 2011.

Although ultra-low sulfur fuel oil is available most of the time now, he said, consumers are not buying it because it costs about 5 cents more per gallon than conventional fuel.

''We've not normally been in this position to ask the heavy hand of government to assist with the market,'' Py said.

He said homeowners would benefit from burning the cleaner fuel. Their furnaces would need no modifications and would require less maintenance because the cleaner fuel reduces scaling. Furnaces would also burn 1 percent to 2 percent more efficiently, he said.

In Europe, Goodall said, more efficient condenser boilers are used to heat homes, resulting in a fuel savings of 10 percent or more. These boilers, however, require oil with a sulfur content of less than 50 ppm.

''All the refineries are going to lower sulfur,'' said Jim Brooks, director of the Bureau of Air Quality at the state Department of Environmental Protection. ''The handwriting is on the wall.''

Py said that cleaner oil produced at an Irving refinery in New Brunswick can be made available in Maine. He said it would be difficult, however, to supply the whole Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions quickly.

He told the committee that a study has been undertaken by the National Oilheat Research Alliance to evaluate the market availability of cleaner heating oil.

The two bills will be taken up at another work session next Thursday or later.

MaineToday Media State House Reporter Ethan Wilensky-Lanford can be contacted at 620-7015 or at:

ewlanford@mainetoday.com