SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota is the first U.S. state to require diesel fuel contain a 5 percent biodiesel blend.

The state was the first to mandate a B2 blend in 2005. There were some cold-weather performance and quality issues that forced the state to suspend the policy for a month that year, but for the most part those issues were overcome through enhanced quality control. 

According to analysis from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the state’s B2 Fuel Standard added an average of 4/10 of a penny to the cost of a gallon of diesel during the last three years.

Some officials want to hike the mandate to B20 — by 2 percent over the next eight years — but that proposal has drawn concerns from industry groups and road users. 

Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, New Mexico and Massachusetts have also passed biodiesel requirements.

In Canada, B.C. could be the first province to mandate B5 on Jan. 1. Nationally, Ottawa wants to implement a B2 standard by 2010.

However, those proposals are controversial as they require fuel providers to manufacturer B averages across their entire supply pool, meaning fuel shipped to larger customers who demand little or no biodiesel content would force compliance by distributing higher blends elsewhere in the retail and wholesale chains.