Biofuels Bill Signing

Governor Patrick will sign a bill into law today that aims to cut greenhouse emissions in Massachusetts, and create jobs in the clean energy sector.

WBUR's Shannon Mullen reports.

MULLEN: The bill makes Massachusetts the first state to pass a gas-tax exemption for cellulosic biofuels, leap-frogging corn-based ethanol and its potential negative environmental and other impacts.

The state's Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles says the law creates a market for innovation:

BOWLES: It's largely an incentive to grow the advanced biofuels industry but it also gives consumers a clear roadmap going ahead for the next ten years that we're going to be reducing greenhouse gases in all the fuels.

MULLEN: Another national first, the law also requires diesel and home heating fuels sold in the Commonwealth to have 5 percent bio-components by the year 2010.