The Missouri State Senate has passed a biodiesel standard that would require all diesel sold in the state to contain at least 5 percent biodiesel.

This story in the St. Louis Post Dispatch says if it passes the Missouri House and gains the governor’s signature (which he has indicated he will sign it), it will be the highest biodiesel requirement in the country:

“It gets biodiesel into the fuel distribution system,” said Sen. Bill Stouffer, the bill’s sponsor. “I’m not a mandate guy, but when the competition owns the system, the only way to get it into the system is to force it.”

The move has gained the praise of the Missouri Soybean Association:

“A B5 Standard is the next step in advancing Missouri’s growing biofuels industry and we are grateful for the leadership that Senator Stouffer has provided on this important issue,” said Dale R. Ludwig, Missouri Soybean Association (MSA) Executive Director/CEO. “It is refreshing to have people who realize the important role biodiesel can play in reducing our dependency on foreign oil. Missourians can take pride in knowing that homegrown, renewable fuels, such as biodiesel, keep more dollars in the state when we spend less on petroleum-based fuels.”

If it passes, Missouri would become the sixth state to put in a biodiesel standard. Minnesota was the first, enacting a two percent standard. Louisiana, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington also have passed biodiesel standards, but those states’ requirements have nit yet kicked in.