Iowa biodiesel supporters made visits on Capitol Hill this week asking members of Congress to pass legislation to reinstate the biodiesel tax credit. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw was with the group. He says the biodiesel tax credit is needed to put the fledging industry on the same level as the oil and gas industry.

He says the measure his group is backing calls for making the biodiesel tax incentive a producers credit rather than a blenders credit. Shaw says part of the reason that’s needed is to make sure foreign biodiesel companies are prevented from getting the benefits of a U.S. tax credit.

Shaw says it may take some time to get the biodiesel tax credit reinstated because it’s tied up with the debate on comprehensive tax reform.

Shaw says biodiesel production has skyrocketed since the tax credit was first implemented, from 100 million gallons in 2005 to nearly 2.9 billion gallons last year.