DRAFT Environmental Letter of Support
The Honorable Lou Correa
Member of the Senate
State Capitol, Room 5061
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Senator Correa:
SUBJECT: Senate Bill 916 (Correa): Stormwater: Pollution Prevention – SUPPORT
On behalf of (company/organization name), I am writing to express strong support for
your Senate Bill 916, which introduces a new technology to protect California’s water
resources, improve air quality, and protect public health by setting a minimum bio-based
content standard for motor oil sold in California.
One of the largest environmental threats to California is used motor oil. It is the primary
pollutant in storm water runoff. Approximately 150 million gallons of motor oil are
purchased every year, generating over ninety million gallons of used oil, the largest
volume of hazardous waste generated in California. Over 70 million gallons are illegally
dumped or lost in use and end up in our rivers, lakes and streams, degrading our
drinking water supplies, and adding to storm water and coastal pollution. Used motor oil
contains many constituents which are known to cause harm to drinking water,
recreation, fisheries, and wildlife. These constituents pose long-term risk to the aquatic
ecosystem because of their tendency to accumulate in sediment over time.
Motor oil burned in the combustion chamber of our vehicles contributes to air pollution
and greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Department of Toxic Substance
Control, the potential zinc, cadmium, and lead emissions from used oil-derived fuels
from California are comparable to the emissions from all of California’s major stationary
sources combined.
SB 916 introduces a new “clean technology”, developed in cooperation with the US
Department of Agriculture, for a bio-based synthetic motor oil. The bio-based content of
biosynthetic motor oil is biodegradable, non-toxic and does not bio-accumulate in
marine organisms. Extensive testing has shown that biosynthetic motor oil can reduce
the adverse environmental impacts of motor oil, improve water and air quality, and
reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, all while improving vehicle performance, fuel
efficiency, and requiring fewer oil changes. Also, the bio-based component can be
made from many renewable sources found in plant and animal oils, as well as algae,
increasing its environmental value. These high performing biosynthetic motor oils do
not need to be changed as frequently as conventional lubricants, reducing the total
amount of motor oil used over a vehicle’s useful life.
SB 916 maintains California’s role as the trailblazer in environmental protection. By
setting minimum bio-based content standards for motor oil sold in California, SB 916
can reduce the pollution impacts of motor oil in storm water runoff and strengthen
California’s overall efforts to protect our environment.
We thank you and applaud your leadership for introducing this important measure. If
you have any questions regarding Company/organizations Name’s position on SB
916, please do not hesitate to contact me at (phone number).
Sincerely,