Minnesota Judge Upholds State's Biodiesel Mandate

An effort to block a Minnesota state mandate that requires all diesel fuel sold at the pump to be at least 10% biofuel has been blocked by a district court judge. In 2015, trucking groups within the state filed a lawsuit claiming the mandate conflicted with federal Clean Air and Renewable Fuels laws. The lawsuit was brought by the Minnesota Trucking Association, the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, American Petroleum Institute and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.  The suit sought an injunction to block the mandate and a future increase to 20% biofuel. It argued that the mandate would result in higher maintenance costs and engine problems, as well as a safety hazard because older vehicles were not designed to run on biofuel blends of 10-20%. The judge ruled the Clean Air Act did not pre-empt Minnesota’s mandate, and added that if the state mandate actually violated the Clean Air Act that the EPA would have filed its own injunction.