Manitoba will soon be the first Canadian province to mandate the use of biodiesel, announcing it will begin its long-discussed 2% requirement on Nov. 1, according to the Oil Price Information Service.

The move beats British Columbia's enactment of a 5% biodiesel mandate on Jan. 1, 2010, and Alberta's 2% mandate on July 1, 2010.

According to Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, Manitoba uses just over 1 billion liters/year of diesel fuel, and so a 2% biodiesel mandate translates into 20 million liters/year of biodiesel.