Oregon will start enforcing a 2 percent biodiesel requirement today, making it the third state mandating the fuel
, following in the footsteps of Minnesota and Washington. The requirement was prompted by the state's biodiesel production reaching capacity of 5 million gallons.

The new standard is part of renewable energy legislation approved in 2007. Nine Oregon counties will begin adoption Wednesday, followed by the rest of the state Oct. 1.

Minnesota, which was the first state to mandate a B2 requirement, increased the standard to B5 in May. Washington also has a B2 standard in place, and Pennsylvania will follow suit starting Jan. 1, 2010. On July 1, 2010, Massachusetts will require that diesel and home heating oil sold in the state contain 2 percent biodiesel.

Oregon houses three biodiesel plants, including Beaver Biodiesel in Albany, Green Fuels of Oregon in Klamath Falls, and SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel in Salem. The City of Portland uses a minimum of 20 percent biodiesel in its fleet, as part of its strategy to keep it one of the greenest cities in the world.