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By Alex Roarty, Sentinel Reporter

Last updated: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 11:39 AM EDT

oybeans are the new fuel in Cumberland County.

Cumberland County officials Monday marked a deal they have struck with the owner of a Mechanicsburg-based biofuel station to use a portion of renewable biodiesel in each of the county’s roughly 20 diesel-engine vehicles. Officials say the fuel, which will blend the biodiesel component with normal petroleum, will help keep the county’s air cleaner while boosting the local economy.

It won’t cost less and it won’t help the vehicles be more fuel efficient, according to County Administrator Rich Moore, but he said the biodiesel will help the country lower its dependence on foreign oil in addition to reducing emissions and providing a boost to local farms. Moore said previously the county bought its diesel fuel retail from Sheetz gas station, at a cost difference from the biodiesel pump of a few cents less per gallon.

When burned, biodiesel releases less greenhouse gasses, the main contributor to global warming.

Moore also said the county did not need to retrofit its trucks with new parts, because biofuel works with the same engines as normal fuel.

The deal was the result of a commitment made last year by the county commissioners to make Cumberland County more environmentally friendly.

It’s a step county government needed to take to become a leader in using alternative fuels, according to Democratic County Commissioner Rick Rovegno. Rovegno said all sections of society need to examine how they consume energy, which he said is the biggest challenge facing the world today.

“How are our grandkids going to have the same standard of living as us?” Rovegno said. “This is one small step.”

First county to convert

Dennis Wolff, state secretary of agriculture, said buying the sources of renewable energy from the state’s farms will help their slim profit margins, which he said is the No. 1 reason many next-generation farmers choose to get out of the business.

John Gleim Excavating Jr. Inc., where Monday’s ceremony was held, will supply the county with the fuel, which will be 80 percent petroleum and 20 percent biodiesel. The owner of the company, John Gleim, said his company’s fleet of more than 100 diesel-engine vehicles has used biofuel for two years without almost any problems.

Moore said Gleim’s station was the only biodiesel pump within a reasonable distance — the next closest, he said, was in Camp Hill.

Cumberland County is the first county in Pennsylvania to make this kind of commitment, according to Race Miner, the CEO of Keystone BioFuels, the company providing the biofuel to Gleim’s pump. Miner said Keystone BioFuels uses only produce grown in Pennsylvania to make the biofuel.

“It’s really the perfect storm,” Miner said.

Putting benefits first

Gleim said the deal for him and Cumberland County was a “no-brainer.”

He said the biofuel costs him more, but the benefits to the environment outweigh the hit to his pocketbook. Besides, he said, environmentalists eventually have to put their money where their mouth is.

“We just absolutely gotta start somewhere,” Gleim said.

Gleim also said he is hoping a state or federal subsidy for biofuels will help him make up the difference — the state Legislature began a special session Monday to discuss such a program.

Although Cumberland County might be the first county in the state to commit to biofuels, it’s at least the second major institution in Carlisle to do so. Earlier this year Dickinson College began making biodiesel from waste cooking oil, using it to power the school’s garbage truck and some lawn mowers.