Hausladen says biodiesel costs three to five cents more per gallon than diesel, which truckers will have to pass on to consumers. And we believe if the state thinks it's good enough policy, then the state should ante up. Put in some of their fleets, do some tests, track some emissions, and then let's talk about where we go. This is yet another case in which we're leaping before we look, mandating a demand which we can't satisfy here in Minnesota. But the railroad industry says those tests have taken place in trucks, not locomotives.
Railroads are also concerned about the potential for biodiesel to turn to gel in cold weather.
The objections expressed by truckers, railroads and airlines have largely fallen on deaf ears at the Capitol, as the biodiesel bill has plowed through committee after committee in both the House and Senate. The bill's House author, Rep. Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake, says that's because opponents are throwing out arguments that have been refuted. They've taken the shotgun approach of scattering as many hypothetical theories out there in hope that something would stick. Westrom says biodiesel has numerous benefits. It's renewable, reduces U.S. dependence on foreign oil, and will spur economic development in rural Minnesota, as biodiesel processing plants are built.