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And more could be in the works. "There is talk of some really nice incentives if they could use biofuels," says Hall. "That certainly would have to happen in order for our customers to get really highly motivated. We are really looking for the federal government to take some actions here."

In terms of outright pricing, the difference fluctuates. "B20 currently sells anywhere from the same price as diesel up to $.20 more a gallon," says Pearson. "How competitive it is with diesel depends largely on the price of oil."

"If oil prices are going to stay where they are right now, it is kind of a wash on the price of biodiesel and the price of regular diesel," notes Stearns. "But if we get in another situation like we did last summer when diesel was up over $3/gal., then there is obvious economic sense."

A promising outlook
Right now, everyone has a vested interest in the success of biodiesel, and the future does look promising. Still, equipment manufacturers urge caution with higher blends.

"We have spent a lot of money and time over the last couple of years testing at the B20 level to absolutely confirm whether there are any [equipment] modifications required," says Borgman. "That is ongoing work and we do not have the results of that yet. It would obviously be our desire to recommend at higher levels, but we need solid test data that we have absolute confidence in."