26/9/2005 (Greeley Tribune) - In 20 years, American agriculture couldsupply 25 percent of the country's energy needs.

Michael Bowman, speaking Thursday morning at the Northern Colorado EnergySummit, said that would include alternative transportation fuels, solarand wind energy. The summit, at the University of Northern Colorado, drewmostly government and energy industry officials.

Bowman of Wray heads the Agriculture Energy Working Group, formed about ayear ago to explore how agriculture can help solve the nation's growingenergy needs.

That has led to a national steering committee called "25 By '25," whichwas formed to find ways farmers and ranchers can supply 25 percent of thenation's energy by 2025. That would result in more farm income and areduction of government payments to the nation's farmers, he said

Jim Geist of the Greeley-based Great Western Ethanol, said construction onthe company's ethanol production facility in Evans will start this fall.When completed, it will produce 140 million gallons of ethanol -- madefrom corn -- annually.

That plant, he said, is one of the new "destination" facilities that arebeing built closer to where the final product will be used. Most ethanolplants are currently operating in the upper Midwest, providing fuel tomajor metropolitan areas on the East Coast.

Geist said Great Western is not only close to the Denver market, but it islocated in the country's most highly concentrated livestock regions.Colorado, he said, is expected to use 220 million gallons of ethanol by2007.

Front Range Energy broke ground earlier this month on another ethanolplant near Windsor.

Brian Duff of BBI International Consulting of Golden said biodiesel, likeethanol, will help to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign supplies, and,like ethanol, cuts emissions considerably.

Currently, between 120 and 150 million gallons are produced in the U.S.,while consumption has grown from about 25 million gallons to an estimated60 million gallons this year.