Joining a growing list of cities in California, San Diego announced Oct. 27 that its municipal vehicle fleet will become the largest in the nation to embrace renewable diesel — from street sweepers to refuse packers to fire trucks.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants U.S. fuel distributors to move 2.1 billion gallons of biodiesel in 2018 as part of the continuing increase in the nation’s renewable fuel standard, the agency said.

Spot biodiesel prices have jumped at least 10% because of moves in Washington since Nov. 30, when the Obama administration increased consumption targets for the fuel. About three weeks later, Congress reinstated a $1-a-gallon tax credit for blending it.

Volvo Trucks North America said it has approved the use of renewable diesel fuel, which can be made from biomass, in its engines.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency punted on setting quotas for the use of renewable fuels in 2014 and pledged to lay out next year targets for 2014-2016.

A survey by the National Biodiesel Board found that nearly 80% of biodiesel producers have scaled back production this year, and more than half have idled production, due in part to what it called a “weak” renewable fuel standard proposal in Washington.

Starting April 1, the provincial government in Ontario is requiring that trucking’s main fuel sold there be at least 3% biodiesel.

The U.S. biodiesel industry produced a record 1.8 billion gallons of the fuel in 2013, according to figures recently released by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Senators questioned the usefulness of EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard — which covers the production of biodiesel blended into truck fuel — with some calling for the abolition of the supports and other saying RFS should be modified to accommodate changes in the nation’s energy sector.