Rep.

Thursday, March 14, 2002

Rep. Dan Dorman, R-Albert Lea, called for action by biodiesel supporters to prevent Gov. Jesse Ventura from vetoing a biodiesel bill that passed the legislature Monday.

Dorman, who has been working hard in support of the bill, said, &uot;Biodiesel could open a new market for Minnesota farmers. In fact, many Minnesotans believe the legislation will do for soybean farmers what the state’s support for ethanol did for corn producers.&uot;

He encourages those who are in favor of the bill to call Ventura’s comment line at 1-800-657-3717 and ask him to sign it.

The bill will mandate diesel fuel sold in the state to contain a 2-percent biodisel blend by June 2005.

According to a study by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the 2 percent biodiesel blend would require 7.4 million bushels of soybeans -&160;that is about 3 percent of annual soybean crop in the state.

It would generate a $185 million positive impact to the state economy and 983 new jobs, according to estimates.

Minnesota ranks third in soybean production and fifth in soybean processing in the U.S. Only about 40 percent of the 286-million bushel annual production is processed in the state, and the rest is exported or shipped to other states for processing.

This is mainly because Minnesota’s soybean prices are generally 13 cents lower than the national average, according to the department.

On the other hand, the price of diesel fuel sold in the state is 14 cents higher than the national average.

&uot;The lower market price of soybeans and higher diesel fuel price provide an ideal climate for developing alternative fuels from agricultural feedstocks,&uot; the report concluded.