Missouri’s youngest governor has decided not to run for a second term, saying he has accomplished all the goals he had when he took office in 2005. Among those goals was a ten percent ethanol mandate for gasoline, which took effect this month.

Blunt recently announced proposals for $2 million in tax incentives for retailers who install E-85 ethanol pumps and a statewide five percent biodiesel standard.

“Governor Blunt has been as progressive as any public official in the nation on renewable fuels policy,” said Missouri Soybean Association Executive Director Dale Ludwig. “This year, he became the first governor in the country to publicly support a statewide five percent biodiesel standard. He has also shown great leadership by fully funding the biodiesel incentive fund, which helps place biodiesel producers on a level playing field with petroleum companies that receive federal tax incentives.”

The 37-year-old governor’s announcement stunned the state of Missouri since he had already been collecting campaign contributions and even running commercials. Blunt says he has spent 20 years in government service, ten in the Navy and ten in public office, and he wants to spend more time with his wife and young son who was born about the same time he became governor.

Wonder if this means his brother Andy can now keep his shares in the Show Me Ethanol plant without a conflict of interest? (See yesterday’s post on that story)