It looks like the $1-a-gallon federal biodiesel tax incentive could be close to renewal, as the jobs bill to which it was attached has cleared a key vote in the U.S. Senate.

The vote came Tuesday as eight Republicans sided with 58 Democrats to end debate on the $150 billion measure.

The cloture vote clears the way for final passage in the Senate. H.R. 4213, the American Workers, State and Business Relief Act includes retroactive extension of the biodiesel tax credit, and it will have to be reconciled with the US House’s version.

The American Soybean Association is urging lawmakers to work together to get a final bill done:

“Expiration of the biodiesel tax incentive has essentially caused the production and use of biodiesel in the U.S. to cease and has placed thousands of jobs currently supported by the domestic biodiesel industry in immediate jeopardy,” said ASA President Rob Joslin, a soybean producer from Sidney, Ohio. “Companies have already started laying-off employees, and this situation is certain to worsen the longer the tax incentive is allowed to lapse.”

An interesting note: I found out about this passage earlier on Tuesday when our friend Jessica Robinson from the National Biodiesel Board (@Biodiesel_Media) tweeted, or more accurately, re-tweeted @agripulse‘s tweet to my Twitter account (@jdavisreporter) when the vote happened. Didn’t take long for at story to travel around the social media! No wonder Chuck and Cindy (@AgriBlogger and @FarmPodcaster) have been such big advocates!