From the Fresno Bee
Imagine seeing diesel trucks start up without a belch of black smoke. Now think of diesel truck exhaust that smells like egg rolls, doughnuts or french fries.
Those sights and aromas might become familiar if lawmakers bite on new legislation to encourage use of “clean-air” biodiesel — a diesel-engine fuel made from vegetable oils or animal fats and even waste oil from restaurants.
State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, introduced seven bills this month in hopes of making the fuel common. But before you start looking for a biodiesel pump at the filling station, there’s one important question about biodiesel that hasn’t been fully answered.