Minnesota House and Senate pass law shifting cold weather biodiesel policy

In Minnesota, fuel refiners and blenders would have a few more days to make their annual transition from one type of biodiesel fuel to another under the provisions of a bill passed by the House 120-0 on Tuesday and in the Senate 67-0 on April 19. The legislation is awaiting the governor’s signature.

On May 1 the percentage of biodiesel that must be included in Number 2 diesel fuel jumped from 10 percent (B10) to 20 percent (B20), where it will now remain.

However, because of concerns over how diesel fuel with the B10/B20 blend performs in cold weather, the law says that from October through March a lower blend of biodiesel, B5, is to be used. This creates challenges for facilities that blend and refine the fuel and must each year transition between the different blends.

HF3523/ SF3596 would allow those facilities to have a two week period, April 1–14, when they could ramp up production of the B20 blend. By April 1, the blend would need to be B10 and would then rise to B20 after April 14.