Bio-fuels law passed, but end consumers to be ultimately kept in the dark

On Monday President Aleksander Kwaśniewski signed the bill on bio-components, which will be applied to all liquid fuels and bio-fuels. The Sejm passed the bill back on October 2, and it will now enter force on January 1, 2004. Until Poland joins the European Union, bio-fuel components will be exclusively produced from domestic raw materials, as there will be no five-year transition period. According to the regulations, the production and storage of the components will require special permission. However, it is still unknown what percentage of bio-ingredients will actually be added to fuels. The decision concerning this issue will be made by the government in the form of a decree. Moreover, according to the regulation, drivers will not be privy to this information, as only fuel distributors with more bio-components than allowed by the law will be especially marked. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 1) M.M.