Ethanol plant helps Lancaster

As soaring gas prices drive a growing number of consumers to consider alternative fuels, officials are considering a proposal to build what would be Los Angeles County's first ethanol plant.Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

And BlueFire Ethanol says its plant, proposed for Lancaster, also would be the first commercial facility in the country to process biowaste - woodchips, grass cuttings and other organic waste from a nearby landfill - into ethanol.

"We turn something that is useless into high-value commodities," said Bill Davis, vice president of project management for the Irvine-based company. "It has huge potential for us, our company, the state of California, the United States."