The U.S. departments of agriculture and energy try to change two closely watched monthly reports to account for the zoom of renewable diesel, a clean-burning fuel manufactured from soy and other fats and oils. Surging demand for renewable diesel is a component of a much bigger global transition to green fuels and can increase the prices of crops like soybeans and canola it's derived from.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to manage how it reports soy oil utilized in biofuel in its monthly World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report as soon as this spring. The changes would be made only after the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) begins reporting more detailed data on the renewable diesel sector.

Renewable diesel can power conventional auto engines without being blended with diesel derived from petroleum, making it attractive for refiners close to producing low-pollution options. Production of the fuel is anticipated to almost quintuple over the subsequent three years, in step with investment bank Goldman Sachs, using feedstock’s from plant oils and animal fats to used oil.