Both Minnesota and Texas had their own issues with biodiesel production this week.

On Wednesday, Nov. 2, a rumor was swirling around the Lone Star State that Texas officials had banned biodiesel altogether. But Roger Vaughan of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said that isn’t exactly true.

Vaughan told Land Line that Texas Low Emission diesel standards, or TxLED, require certain fuel standards in 110 counties in the eastern half of the state, in particular with regard to nitrous oxide emissions.

The trouble, Vaughn said, is that only one 20-percent biodiesel mixture meets those standards, so in effect the rest of the mixtures in use in the eastern half of the state are illegal.

“Basically that does regulate against most of the mixtures in the eastern half of Texas ,” Vaughan said.

The new fuel requirements went into effect Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota , a problem of a different sort has disrupted sales of biodiesel throughout the state.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that a bad batch of soybean-based biodiesel led to a series of problems that prompted the state to temporarily halt biodiesel sales. The batch – which came from the state’s largest refiner – did not measure up to the legal standards required by the state.

As a result, diesel deliveries from that refiner were shut off for about 20 hours Friday, Oct. 28, prompting the state to temporarily waive the law that requires all diesel sold in Minnesota to be mixed with at least 2 percent biodiesel.

The waiver was granted Friday and remains in effect until 10 days from that date, during which time pure diesel can be sold in the state.