was a solid 45 cents cheaper than the regular unleaded at the Chevron down the road. Besides... it smells like french fries! Need I say more?

Ethanol, or vegetable alcohol, is another option for the petroleum rebel. However, ethanol is much harder to find, and gets only half the mileage that biodiesel can achieve. There is only a spotting of publicly available ethanol pumps in the west. In fact, the National Ethanol Coalition reports only one public fueling station in the state, located in San Diego. Even then, it’s only 85% ethanol, mixed with 15% petroleum gasoline.

Now, for some reason, new diesel vehicles are illegal in the state of California. So special people with a special brand of patience have to go out of state to buy new diesels and sell them as used cars. Something about smog requirements.... but 3/4 ton and larger pickups are exempt. You’ll have to ask Arnold about that one. In Europe, nearly every car company has a diesel version of its most popular models, and biodiesel is catching like wildfire. We in the good ol’ U.S. of A are limited, though, to Volkswagen TDIs, Mercedes Benz CDIs and Jeep’s Liberty diesel. Still, the choices are pretty good. These

are nice cars, the safest on the market, and well priced at that. Besides, if you still need your beast, any diesel engine can run on biodiesel. It can be mixed at any percentage with regular diesel, and is worth a try if nothing else.

Steve Ahl, head honcho of Ahl Motors in Ukiah, is one of the heroes bringing us quality vehicles that will run on biofuels. He travels all over the country to pick up the cars that he sees fit to Mendocino County’s thriving alternative economy. “80% of people who buydiesel cars from us run on biodiesel,” he says. “Areas with a higher level of consciousness are concerned about these issues. We have many more choices here to do what we want. People in densely populated areas have much less choice...” Ahl said, referring to the lack of efficient vehicles offered on the popular markets. Asked about his views on the issue of availability and demand in eco-friendly transportation, Ahl sums it up with; “In my opinion, the manufacturers are totally out of touch with what people want. As the price of fuel goes up, GM, Ford and Gaimler Chrysler are making high horsepower cars. But Volkswagen diesels, Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas are flying off the lots. People really