Biodiesel Fuel Bill Cutting Red Tape for Florida’s Students Passes Legislature

Tallahassee, FL – Rep. Steve Precourt applauded the Florida Legislature today for unanimously passing SB 1730, Biodiesel Fuel. Precourt’s House companion bill, HB 1065 passed the House on Wednesday; this legislation exempts secondary schools from certain filing requirements.

This legislation was brought to sponsors Representative Steve Precourt and Senator Steve Oelrich by several incredibly bright high school students who attend The Oak Hall School in Gainesville, Florida.

“This legislation will remove the bureaucratic red tape that was slowing down an innovative biofuel project conceived by some of Florida’s brightest students,” said Representative Steve Precourt. “We should be doing everything we can to encourage our youth to pursue clean energy projects, and it’s rewarding to see this much needed fix come to fruition.”

The Oak Hall students started a project where they built a biodiesel processor to turn everyday household cooking products, such as used vegetable oil, into biodiesel fuel that can run in the school’s lawn equipment. Currently, the students are required to submit a monthly report to the Florida Department of Revenue regardless if any biodiesel is produced or not, according to Chapter 206 in Florida Statute. Furthermore, the school must pay a tax on each gallon produced. The school is permitted to file for an annual refund on the taxes collected during the previous year. This legislation exempts secondary schools that produce 1,000 gallons or less of biodiesel fuel per year, for the sole use of the school, from the monthly filing requirement and the tax payment. This exemption will allow high school students to produce new, clean energy without being continually burdened by too much government.

This bill now goes to the Governor for signing.

###