Jackson, Miss. ? Willie Nelson is headed to the boardroom.

Biodiesel manufacturer Earth Biofuels Inc. of Jackson, Miss., announced Thursday it had appointed Nelson to its board of directors.

“I am excited about getting involved with Earth Biofuels, we share the same goals in advancing the biodiesel industry,” Nelson said in a statement. “I’m anxious to get started – onward and upward!”

Company chief executive officer Tommy Johnson called Nelson a supporter of biodiesel fuel (a cleaner burning fuel made from natural, renewable sources like vegetable oils) who is very knowledgeable about the industry.

Nelson and three business partners recently formed a company called Willie Nelson’s Biodiesel that is marketing the fuel to truck stops.

The product – called BioWillie – is made from vegetable oils, mainly soybeans, and can be burned without modification to diesel engines.

In a January interview, Nelson told The Associated Press that he began learning about biodiesel a few years ago after his wife purchased a biodiesel-burning car in Hawaii, where the Abbott, Texas, native has a home.