JEFFERSON CITY MO. — There’ll be veggies in the trailer and veggie oil in the fuel tank.

One of the biggest grocery fleets in America — Safeway Inc., with more than 1,000 trucks in its stable, has announced plans to switch all of its tractors over to biodiesel.

The company will use B20, a blend of 20-percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel.

Says Safeway’s president and CEO Steve Burd: “Using biodiesel to power our transportation fleet will prevent millions of pounds of carbon emissions from being released into the environment. Our biodiesel program is just one of many initiatives underway that will make a positive impact on the environment.”

The announcement only applies to Safeway Inc, in the U.S and not Canada.

Biodiesel is made from renewable resources such as fats and vegetable oils. Blends of up to 20 percent can be used in any diesel engine with no need for modification.

“We commend Safeway for showing leadership in true corporate sustainability,” says Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB).

The NBB is America’s national trade association of the biodiesel industry and is the coordinating body for biodiesel research and development in the U.S. In 2007, the industry produced an estimated 450 million gallons of biodiesel.

The NBB also announced that a new 84,000-gallon biodiesel blending and storage facility officially opened today in Aurora, Colo. There are more than 40 terminals across the U.S. carrying biodiesel.