.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} The Iowa Legislature is considering Senate File 408, a bill that states: “A retail dealer shall not advertise for sale or sell diesel fuel in this state, unless it is biodiesel fuel.”

The exceptions that follow reflect two facts: The lawmakers are trying to be realistic about the limits of biodiesel, which is good; and biodiesel has its disadvantages, which is bad.

Virtually the same bill was considered last year but didn’t get anywhere. It calls for a modest blend of 5 percent biofuel and 95 percent traditional diesel at first, but ratchets the proportion up to 20 percent biofuel on July 1, 2015. It acknowledges concerns about cold-weather performance by saying: “Retail dealer is not required to advertise for sale or sell biodiesel blended fuel designated as higher than B-5 during the cold weather months beginning November 1 and ending March 31.”

Doesn’t sound like the most reliable fuel.

All in all, it’s another short-term approach to America’s ever-growing energy problem.

Here in Iowa, it’s hard to oppose the creation of a greater demand for soybeans, the prime source for the “bio” part of biodiesel. Greater demand means higher prices for a major Iowa crop, and that benefits the state’s economy in general.

However, corn-based ethanol has proved to be problematic for many early investors, and we would hate to see biodiesel take more people into that trap.

It may be that Iowa’s best contribution so far is its expanding network of electricity-producing wind turbines, not its ethanol plants.

The real nationwide breakthrough might be converting fleets of trucks to run on natural gas, as T. Boone Pickens suggests. It might be an all-out national push to design the best possible electric vehicles.

Using soybeans as fuel isn’t the kind of leap we need. A bill like SF408 is a parochial attempt to prop up agriculture instead of looking for the next big idea. It’s an unimaginative path to take.