The Lower Colorado River Authority announced Monday that it would buy natural gas made at a North Texas facility from the breakdown of manure deposited by about 10,000 dairy cows.

The quasi-public agency, which is buying the gas for its three gas-fired power plants in Llano and Bastrop counties, touted the deal as green because the natural gas comes from a renewable source: As long as cowboys ride in Texas, cows will fertilize pastures.

"Instead of tapping a geological reserve that's finite and will ultimately run out, instead you are getting fuel from raising cattle and feeding them," said Ingmar Sterzing, a fuels manager at LCRA. "It's environmentally friendly. We're taking a waste product and making energy out of it."

The LCRA has agreed to buy up to 2 million cubic feet of pipeline-quality gas per day for 18 months, enough to power about 6,000 homes, from Microgy Inc., a subsidiary of New Hampshire's Environmental Power Corp.

The gas will account for about 2 percent of all the natural gas LCRA purchases and increases the energy the utility gets from renewable sources by 15 percent.

Cows power Central Texas, Dung from animals used to make natural gas. By Asher Price, AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF, Tuesday, December 05, 2006

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