Biofuels Coalition

By Deputy Johnson



Ways to make biofuels are being researched in Western Colorado. Fields of switchgrass, timothy alfalfa, and prickly pear cactus are going to be planted and harvested for the production of biofuels. These crops were chosen because they are easy to tend to and are perennial crops. The planting will begin in the spring of this year in Carbondale, Rifle, and Fruita. The rare part of this process is that the two year colleges will be doing research, which is not normal for two year colleges. This will diversify the local economies and maintain the environment. The growth of biofeed stocks may eventually become an opportunity for farmers and ranchers. The plants are chosen to be able to grow on maginal agricultural soils and have neutral carbon emissions. This will decrease the amount of emissions on earth compared to conventional fossil fuels.