Oregon has become the fifth state to enact a biodiesel requirement and the first to require strict testing of the fuel.

The U.S. EPA said last week that diesel engine manufacturers who want to use selective catalytic reduction to meet EPA’s 2010 emission rules must supply the urea SCR requires and prove it will be available to truck drivers using those engines.

The U.S. average retail price of diesel fuel dipped by 0.5 cent to $2.676 a gallon last week, its second straight tiny decline, the Department of Energy said.

The trucking industry is willing to pay higher fuel taxes as long as the money is spent to improve the highway infrastructure, American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves said.

WASHINGTON — Legislation proposed last week could allow federal weight limits for trucks to rise to 97,000 pounds and for the first time set fuel-efficiency standards for trucks.

WASHINGTON — Legislation proposed last week could allow federal weight limits for trucks to rise to 97,000 pounds and for the first time set fuel-efficiency standards for trucks.

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed for the first time sharp cuts in exhaust emissions from railroad locomotive and marine engines in a plan a spokesman said would “follow exactly the same pattern” as environmental regulations for truck engines.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it would soon issue its guidance for engine manufacturers on the conditions they must meet in order to sell engines that use selective catalytic reduction to meet emission regulations.

Trucking executives said efforts to ban the use of cellular phones from the nation’s highways would receive industry support as long as state laws do not also ban two-way radios and satellite communication devices.

Most major truck engine manufacturers said they are now testing prototypes of engines developed to meet the federal government’s 2010 diesel engine emission standards. Two of them said they will have engines available for testing next year.