The biodiesel industry could create 1,500 new Arkansas jobs.

A bill was recently introduced in Arkansas that would require 5 percent of all diesel fuel sold in the state to contain biodiesel, according to an article by MSNBC. The initiative would help cut back on pollution, as biodiesel is a cleaner burning fuel, and would support feedstock like soybean oil, which is produced in Arkansas and used in biodiesel.

A study by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock found that the new initiative would create 1,500 jobs at an average salary of $37,000. The bill also would bring in $359 million each year and add $102 million to the state product, as well as add $25 million to yearly tax revenues, of which $11.4 million would be in state and local revenues.

“You start with a farmer producing product, such as a soybean in a field, and they take it to a producer of biodiesel,” Rep. Tiffany Rogers said in the article. “It’s tracked across the state to retail facilities, and then it’s sold across the state as well, so you’ve got a long line of job creation there.”

Recruiting for new jobs could help boost Arkansas’ economy, which has slightly declined because of the current economic recession. The state’s unemployment rate increased from 5.7 percent to 6.4 percent during January.

During January, the state had a total non-farm employment of 1,188,600 workers, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,192,900 workers during December 2008 and a 1.5 percent decrease from last year.