Turning Waste Into Fuel

Hoover's Mayor Petelos appears on Fox Business Network to discuss alternative fuels

Posted by Mike Cason -- Birmingham News June 18, 2008 6:16 PM

Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos made about a five-minute appearance on the Fox Business Network this afternoon to discuss the city's goal of sending yard waste from residents to a new ethanol plant in Livingston.

Petelos, who appeared about 5:30 p.m. on the network by live remote from the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, was interviewed by Neil Cavuto of the Fox network.

Gulf Coast Energy has announced it will build a demonstration plant in Livingston to convert wood waste into ethanol. The company hopes to eventually open a commercial-scale plant.

Petelos also talked about the city's production of biodiesel from recycled cooking oil and its use of ethanol in city vehicles.
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I wish that there were more stories like this one. I feel that ethanol is not going to solve any problems, but I have no issues with them making it from waste versus the Government mandating 1/3 of our corn crops to the production of it.

Not that making it from waste is going to make it any more efficient, or any better in my opinion. And, I am not sure what the footprint is from making ethanol from waste, it might be higher or lower than crude to oil production. But I know that it is higher producing ethanol from corn.

I just feel better eliminating waste to create ethanol. It doesn't make ethanol any better, like I said, I just feel less panicked.