Rural Indiana town sees power, renewal in pig manure

US - Like many rural communities across the Midwest, Reynolds - surrounded by hog farms and corn and soy fields - has seen its fortunes decline in the past few decades, as residents drifted to cities in search of jobs.
calendar icon 16 October 2006
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Now local officials see hope in a project aimed at providing power using renewable resources -- primarily millions of gallons of pig manure.

Against a backdrop of rising energy prices and a growing national debate about fuel and energy sources, Reynolds -- population 547 in the 2000 Census -- was chosen by the state of Indiana last year as the site of a project dubbed BioTown.

The first step was to promote E85 -- 85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline. The town's only gas station, run by BP, installed an E85 pump at the end of September.

The next is to take Reynolds off the conventional power grid.

Source: Reuters

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