Beyond Ethanol

Mr. President, Cong. Green, and Sergeant Schultz, take note:

City officials are hoping to harness the power of dog doo.

San Franciscans already recycle more than 60 percent of their garbage, but in this dog-friendly town, animal feces make up nearly 4 percent of residential waste, or 6,500 tons a year _ nearly as much as disposable diapers, according to the city.

Within the next few months, Norcal Waste, a garbage hauling company that collects San Francisco's trash, will begin a pilot program under which it will use biodegradable bags and dog-waste carts to pick up droppings at a popular dog park.

The droppings will be tossed into a contraption called a methane digester, which is basically a tank in which bacteria feed on feces for weeks to create methane gas.

The methane could then be piped directly to a gas stove, heater, turbine or anything else powered by natural gas. It can also be used to generate electricity.

Note well: there is NO REQUIREMENT that one use dog poop. There is NO LYING about "saving money." Dog owners will NOT "get rich quick." There is NO massive Federal or State subsidy.

And Luther Olsen's brother may not even own a dog.