# Turning Soybeans Into Diesel Fuel Is Costing Us Billions : The Salt : NPR

> NPR reports that about 3 billion gallons of mostly soybean-oil-based biodiesel will be burned in US heavy trucks this year because the Renewable Fuel Standard requires it. An economist estimates biodiesel costs about $1.80 per gallon more than petroleum diesel, roughly $5.4 billion a year.

- Date: 2018-01-16 · published 2018-01-16T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: policy · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/66862-turning-soybeans-into-diesel-fuel-is-costing-us-billions-the-salt-npr
- Commodities: [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Soybean Oil](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SBO.md)

## Why it matters

The mandate underpins demand for soybean oil, so political pressure to cut it is a downside risk for soybean oil prices and soybean crush margins.

## Read by commodity

- SBO: neutral
- SOY: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SOY | 2017-12-19 | [10 Years of Biodiesel in the RFS - American Soybean Association](https://feedsoft.ai/events/67351-10-years-of-biodiesel-in-the-rfs-american-soybean-association.md) | -0.2% | +1.2% |
| SOY | 2021-02-20 | [Biodiesel lives up to 'Better. Cleaner. Now.' mantra - Kansas Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48510-biodiesel-lives-up-to-better-cleaner-now-mantra-kansas-soybeans.md) | +2.0% | +2.8% |
| SOY | 2019-01-07 | [Shutdown is costing farmers, says Farm Bureau official – The Hill](https://feedsoft.ai/events/61084-shutdown-is-costing-farmers-says-farm-bureau-official-the-hill.md) | -1.1% | +1.0% |
| SOY | 2017-04-24 | [The Disappearing Farm Bill Safety Net \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/71482-the-disappearing-farm-bill-safety-net-farm-bureau-intel-markets-american-farm.md) | -0.6% | +0.2% |
| SOY | 2025-12-08 | [Trump is giving farmers $12 billion in aid \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21483-trump-is-giving-farmers-12-billion-in-aid-ap-news.md) | -2.6% | -5.7% |
| SBO | 2025-01-02 | [A Glimpse into the Unknown Future of US Biofuels](https://feedsoft.ai/events/15153-a-glimpse-into-the-unknown-future-of-us-biofuels.md) | -0.6% | +10.7% |
| SBO | 2017-12-19 | [10 Years of Biodiesel in the RFS - American Soybean Association](https://feedsoft.ai/events/67351-10-years-of-biodiesel-in-the-rfs-american-soybean-association.md) | +0.5% | -2.4% |
| SBO | 2025-12-29 | [Volatile Biofuels Demand Is Reshaping the Price Relationship between Soybean and Palm Oils](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21600-volatile-biofuels-demand-is-reshaping-the-price-relationship-between-soybean.md) | +0.6% | +7.3% |

## Sources

- npr.org: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/01/16/577649838/turning-soybeans-into-diesel-fuel-is-costing-us-billions
- wgbh.org: https://www.wgbh.org/news/2018-01-16/turning-soybeans-into-diesel-fuel-is-costing-us-billions

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.