A plan to reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions is expected to be a boon for biodiesel and solar in the state.

This story from Biodiesel Magazine says the California Air Resources Board has recently unveiled its Proposed Scoping Plan to reduce those emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and is set to approve the final version in December:

The principle of the plan is to include a variety of strategies to reduce emissions, including a solar initiative and a range of regulations meant to reduce emissions from trucks and ships docked in state ports. The plan also includes a cap-and-trade GHG emissions reduction program which will be linked to the Western Climate Initiative to create a regional market system for carbon emissions.

The plan, which may be implemented as early as 2009, could provide a significant boost for biodiesel demand, particularly for biodiesel produced in-state through the use of sustainable feedstocks. Joe Gershen, vice president of marketing for California’s Tellurian Biodiesel Inc., said state officials are “pretty bullish” on the use of renewable diesel to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The only “renewable” diesel that is widely available now is biodiesel, so it can be assumed that greater percentage mandates for renewable diesel would equal more demand for biodiesel.

You can read the Proposed Scoping Plan at www.arb.ca.gov.