Service stations in Delaware that sell diesel fuel would be required to convert to a biodiesel mix starting in 2006, if a bill that cleared the state Senate June 15 becomes law.

The bill, which Gov. Ruth Ann Minner called for in her State of the State address, is intended to help clean the air by reducing pollution from diesel engines.

It also would aid soybean farmers by expanding the market for their crops, The News Journal reported.

Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harris McDowell III, D-Wilmington North, the bill would require fuel stops to sell an 80-20 mix of biodiesel. The fuel is made by blending diesel oil with vegetable oils such as soybean oil and animal fat.

The biomaterial helps replace sulfur as a lubricant in diesel fuel and reduces emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and soot.

“It helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and it’s a boost to our farming industry,” McDowell told the newspaper. It would add about 2 cents a gallon to the cost of fuel.

The price boost bothered Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover South.

“I think the idea is good. I think we’re all for helping farmers and a clean environment,” Bonini said. “But I think we need to be honest and say we’re putting a 2-cent-a-gallon tax on it, and that troubles me because I think fuel prices are high enough without our help.”

SB321 has been forwarded to the House Transportation Committee for consideration.