There's gold -- black gold -- in them there cow patties! Rob Hilarides, a dairy owner in Lindsay, California, has decided there is to be no more pain at the pump for him; he's using biomethane from the manure produced by his cows to run his business vehicles. The processed product now powers 2 converted 18-wheeler tanker trucks (the first of their kind), while reducing Hilarides Dairy's diesel consumption by 650 gallons a day.

 Rob, who won a $600,000 state grant to jump-start the process, said he next intends to convert 5 pick-up trucks to cow-poo-powered. California officials are tickled pink that someone has figured out a way to feasibly turn tons of industry waste into renewable energy.