Pennsylvania’s Great Valley School District ‘s buses will burn B20 biodiesel in its fleet of 70 school buses – the first school district in the state to do so, The Daily Local reports.

The 20 percent blend is provided by the Energy Cooperative, a fuel company in Philadelphia. The switch to biodiesel for the whole fleet could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by 435,000 pounds per year. It will also reduce carbon monoxide emissions by almost 2,000 pounds and particulates by 173 pounds.

Michael Detwiler, transportation supervisor at Great Valley, said the switch was simple to implement.  Last year he attended a symposium on alternative fuels hosted by the Energy Cooperative and was impressed by the benefits. The fuel itself costs slightly more than regular diesel but it was offset by a $28,340 alternatives fuels incentive grant.