Wood County, West Virginia, borders the Ohio River and includes the City of Parkersburg. Its school district utilizes 120 diesel-powered buses for the daily transportation of its students.

In the process of considering switching its bus fleet to a B-20 blend of biodiesel, district officials contacted the NAFTC for assistance.

Wood County School District officials discuss the merits of switching to biodiesel following the NAFTC workshop.

As a result, NAFTC Instructor Rich Cregar traveled to the District Transportation Center on October 24, 2005, and presented the "Biodiesel Basics" workshop to district officials including the district superintendent, board president, transportation supervisor, and shop foreman. A representative from the Agricultural and Environmental Research Station at West Virginia State University traveled to Parkersburg from the WVSU campus near Charleston, West Virginia, to attend the workshop. During the morning workshop session, many questions were asked and answered. It was agreed by the group that fuel quality was of primary concern. Rich Cregar emphasized the necessity of obtaining written evidence of ongoing ASTM-D6751 fuel quality certification as well as recommending that the chosen biodiesel producer certify its compliance with the BQ9000 quality protocols.

The Wood County Transportation Center in Parkersburg, West Virginia, is a clean, well-lit facility which was designed and built as the city streetcar garage in 1946. Because of its design, there is plenty of room and easy access for buses and other county-owned equipment.