U.S. pursues ethanol technology as key to reducing oil dependence

The sun shone brightly on the crowd gathered at the rusting old oil refinery here, as company officials showed off diagrams explaining how they planned to turn weeds and agricultural wastes into car fuel. Government officials gave optimistic speeches.

In the background, workers were preparing a new network of pipes, tanks and conveyor belts.

That was in October 1998, when ethanol from crop wastes seemed to be just around the corner.

It still is. This past February, company officials gathered here once again, to break ground on a plant designed to make ethanol by yet another method.

IHT