Biofuel bill introduced

The New Zealand government has introduced legislation to give effect to its plan for the mandatory use of biofuels. The Biofuel Bill implements the biofuels sales obligation (BSO) policy announced earlier by the government. The BSO will mean suppliers of petrol and diesel fuel will have to also supply a proportion of biofuels, beginning at 0.53% in 2008, increasing to 3.40% by 2012. The Green Party said it had negotiated an amendment to ensure that production of the fuel did not impact on food supply and the environment by way of a sustainability standard. (October 10, 2007)