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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Biodiesel bike takes to the road By LAUREN BOYER, Daily Record/Sunday News The Lancaster County Career and Technology Center instructor revved the engine of his custom-made chopper outside the Colonial Courthouse in York on Thursday. Instead of black smoke billowing from the exhaust pipe, it just smelled like fried food. "It smells like the fair - the York Fair," Lingle said with a laugh. "When people drive behind you, they want to know where that smell is coming from." A year ago, his students built the bike using a four-cylinder Volkswagen turbo engine that runs solely on biodiesel collected from school cafeteria cooking oils. Inclement weather stunted Lingle's plans Thursday to ride the bike to Philadelphia for an "Energy Patriots" convoy advocating independence from foreign fuel. The event, sponsored by AmeriGreen, a Manheim-based biofuel supplier, began at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Md., before stopping in York, where they signed the "Declaration of American Energy Independence" and listened to speakers at the Colonial Courthouse. "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, but all sources of access to energy are not," the document read. Among the signers, Daniel Desmond, former deputy secretary for energy and technology deployment for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said that 12 percent of liquid fuels used in the country already come from biofuel, energy derived from living sources like soybean plants or corn. Anyone claiming economic recovery is possible without energy independence, he said, is "either a madman or an economist." Locally, Tom Washburn, president of Aero Energy, leads the biofuel bandwagon, supplying American-based fuel to homes and businesses throughout York County. Foreign fuel is no longer available through the New Oxford-based firm, which switched completely to domestic oil - mostly used for heating - three years ago. It won't be long, he said, until cars and motorcycles catch on. "The torque and power will still be good - if not better," he said. "People are just afraid right now. They don't want it to mess up their motorcycle."lboyer@ydr.com; 771-2062
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