SPRINGFIELD, IL – New state-owned vehicles will be able to be run on fuel derived from Illinois crops, according to the Web site www.daily-journal.com. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed a bill requiring state agencies to purchase flexible-fuel vehicles, which can run on E-85, an 85 percent blend of ethanol and gasoline, and diesel-powered vehicles that run on B-5, a blend of five percent bio-diesel and regular diesel.

Chief sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, said the law is not only going to create cleaner air, but will make a bigger market for Illinois corn and soybeans. Farmers will have more money to spend in their communities, and new markets will lead to the building of more ethanol and biodiesel plants, which would create hundreds of construction jobs as well as permanent ones, he said.

The bill also encourages state agencies to purchase fuel-efficient hybrids, which use an average of 45 percent less fuel than traditional engines.