New York (Platts)--29Jul2010/549 pm EDT/2149 GMT

  

    The New York City Council voted unanimously in favor of cutting the
sulfur content of No. 4 heating oil to 1,500 ppm from 3,000 ppm starting
October 1, 2012, an official with the council said Thursday.

     Kim Thai, press officer at the New York City Council, said the vote was
46 to 0 in favor of the bill.

     The bill, known as Intro 194-A, also requires that all heating oil used
in the city contain at least 2% biodiesel.

     In an earlier statement, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: "By changing the
type of oil we use, we will reduce pollutants and spend less money on
maintaining and operating our heating systems, while simultaneously reducing
our dependence on overseas sources of energy." 

     No. 4 heating oil is used in only about 4,000 of the city's 1 million
buildings, according to data released by Bloomberg's office. But those
buildings account for a large portion of emissions in the city.

     John Maniscalco, CEO of the New York Oil Heating Association, said the
bill will aid positive changes for air emissions.

     "Customers use less oil and its better for public health and the
environment," he said.

     The city each year burns more than 1 billion gallons of No. 4 heating
oil, an equal mix of 2,000 ppm sulfur diesel (No.2 heating oil) and No. 6
residual fuel oil, which has maximum sulfur content of 3,000 ppm.

     The New York City law will take effect during the same winter heating
season as the New York State bill that was signed into law by Governor David
Paterson last week which cuts sulfur in No. 2 heating oil (diesel) to 15 ppm
from 2,000 ppm beginning July 1, 2012. 

		--Alison Ciaccio, alison_ciaccio@platts.com

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