A committee of scientists that helps the government make decisions is recommending that the U.S. keeps working on biodiesel.

This story from Biodiesel Magazine says a National Research Council committee looking at the 21st Century Truck Partnership, a group of of federal government agencies and private industries, has told the U.S. Department of Energy to continue research into the green fuel:

The review was conducted at the request of Patrick Davis, director of the U.S. DOE’s office of FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies. It looked at the high-tech goals and research and development efforts put forth by the partnership, as well as further evaluate the program’s progress and direction and comment on the overall adequacy of the program.

The committee’s findings were published in the book, titled “Review of the 21st Century Truck Partnership.” In it, the committee recommends that the DOE continue its work with biodiesel developers and users to assure compatibility when blending biodiesel with regular diesel. It also said that current DOE work to find an alternative fuel to petroleum has been focused on resolving biodiesel issues, but the agency hasn’t provided a timetable for a successful resolution of those efforts. “Successful deployment will require resolving operational issues and updating the biodiesel specifications,” the review stated. “DOE should develop specific plans, including key actions and timetables, for 5 percent replacement of petroleum fuels.”

The DOE will take the advice into consideration.