State officials are defending biodiesel after a metro school district blamed it for stalling its buses and forcing it to cancel class.
The Bloomington School District canceled classes on Friday, partly because 12 of its buses wouldn't start. Their fuel lines and filters were clogged.
First Student bus company blamed the problem on the biodiesel fuel required by the state.
The company issued a statement saying, "While we recognize the global benefit of biodiesel we also recognize its limitation particularly in cold weather."
State officials say all diesel fuel gels up in cold temperatures.
Bill Walsh with the Minnesota Department of Commerce said, "It really has nothing to do with the biodiesel. It's a diesel fuel issue in the winter and cold weather."
Mark Buccelli with the Minnesota Division of Weights and Measures says if the schools are having problems, they are likely due to condensation getting into storage tanks or a bad blend of biodiesel.