Southern New Mexico congressman Harry Teague Thursday introduced legislation that would give algae-based fuels the same tax incentives that ethanol now gets.

Teague's district sits athwart what is sometimes called the "algae belt," an area where advocates say large quantities of algae-based biofuels could be grown.

In Carlsbad, N.M., the Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management has been pushing algae research, and Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque also is researching the issue. 

Teague's legislation is intended to put algae on a level playing field with other biofuels, the congressman said in a news release.