The municipal bus system in Lincoln, Nebraska, was selected as one of the first urban transit systems in the world to test a new blend of ethanol and diesel fuel.

The experimental bus fuel is designed to meet higher federal clean air standards by reducing engine emissions. Each bus testing the fuel will log an estimated 35,000 miles a year. If successful, the new fuel blend could open the nation's 50 billion gallon diesel market to ethanol producers.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board, Grain Sorghum Board and three ethanol producers - Cargill, Chief Ethanol and Williams Energy - are sponsoring the test.