Department of Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff this week helped the Conewago Valley School District in Adams County celebrate the beginning of the first voluntary program to run school buses on bio-derived diesel fuels.

Soy Energy, Inc, Aero Energy, Ag Com, Inc. and the school district worked together to develop the initiative that not only uses an American-produced fuel, but also a fuel that eliminates many of the air pollutants associated with regular diesel fuel. Conewago buses will use about 4,000 gallons of bio-derived diesel fuel a year which is 5 percent soybean oil.

The bio-derived fuel was developed through the work of researchers at The Pennsylvania State University Energy Institute, and their partnership with Ag Com, Inc. By studying the alternative uses for food crops and their bi-products, a new use for surplus soybeans was found as an efficient bio-blended fuel additive.

Ag Com, Inc., is located in New Chester, Adams County, and operates a Soybean Oil Manufacturing Plant.

The Alternative Fuels Renewable Energies Council helped organize the day’s events.

For more information on Soy Energy, Inc., call 717- 624-4149 or on Ag Com, Inc., call 800-359-8899.

12/10/2004