Local production of biofuels begins

Renewable energy has stepped into the Durango region in a big way. An alternative energy firm recently completed construction on its new biofuels plant on the nearby Southern Ute Indian Reservation. The Coyote Gulch Demonstration Facility will be in full-scale commercial operation by late this summer.

Solix Biofuels is a Fort Collins-based firm focused on algae-based biofuel. A Colorado State University spin-off, Solix started by sponsoring research to identify algae species that produce high fuel yields. Currently, algae grown in photo-bioreactors at Solix headquarters yield more than five times the amount of fuel per acre than other agriculture-based biofuels. Solix engineers have also created systems that automatically adjust for environmental changes such as sunlight and temperature to optimize growing conditions.

Solix selected Durango in part because of its climate, which is optimal for algae production. The company is also coming to Southwest Colorado thanks to a partnership with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. The biofuels plant will be located on a 10-acre site on tribal property and will be built in two phases. The first phase consists of two acres of photo-bioreactors, and one acre for a lab.

“As the world moves to replace fossil fuels with the clean, renewable energy of the future, we see algae as a highly attractive alternative to agricultural crop feedstocks,” said Doug Henston, CEO of Solix.

Algal oil production began at the local plant July 16 following the inoculation of the facility with microalgae. The process served as a sort of ribbon-cutting for the local plant. The Coyote Gulch Demonstration Facility is expected to be producing the equivalent of 3,000 gallons of algal oil per acre by late this year.

“The inoculation was an exciting moment for Solix, the State of Colorado and our country,” said Rich Schoonover, Solix’s chief operating officer. “We are ready to prove to the world the viability of algae as an alternative to petroleum-based fuels.”

Not only does algae hold some of the greatest promise for biofuel, it offers a significant side-benefit. Algae cultivation consumes substantial quantities of carbon dioxide, helping to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Companies and agencies have been working on developing a viable algae-based biofuel since 1978. Solix was founded in 2006 to continue this effort and solve climate change and petroleum scarcity issues, without competing with global food supply.

Plastic bag challenge nears its end

The regional race to eliminate plastic bags is nearing the finish line. The plastic bag challenge being undertaken in 28 mountain towns comes to a close Sept. 1, and Basalt and Winter Park-Granby are currently leading the competition sponsored by the Colorado Association of Ski Towns.

The voluntary initiative is working to reduce consumption of single-use, disposable shopping bags throughout the West. Twenty-eight towns, including Durango, started the challenge March 1. Community organizers in competing towns have been working with their municipal governments, local businesses and grocery stores to prepare for the challenge.  The “winner” will be determined on a per capita basis by which community uses the most reusable bags during the six-month period.

CAST President Joyce Burford noted that the Reusable Bag Challenge has been a success, regardless of who wins. “The support and exposure we’ve gotten in our community is really impressive.” she said. “I hope this effort gains enough momentum to the point where more towns in Colorado and even nationwide start their own initiatives.”

The winning town will receive a $5,000 grant from Alpine Bank to install a solar panel system at a public school. Durango shoppers can identify participating grocers and retailers by the presence of the 2009 CAST Reusable Bag Challenge poster at the entrance.

Nearly 1 trillion plastic bags are used and trashed each year.

University issues dire water forecast

As the West warms, a dry Colorado River could be in store. A new University of Colorado study highlights a “one-in-two chance” that all Colorado River reservoir storage will be depleted by 2057 if current management strategies are not changed.

Roughly 30 million people depend on the Colorado River and its dozen reservoirs for drinking and irrigation water. The CU study looked at the effects of reductions in Colorado River stream flow due to climate change.

Balaji Rajagopalan, a CU-Boulder associate professor and the study’s lead author, noted that the Colorado River system is presently enduring its 10th year of drought. The reservoir system entered that drought at 95 percent of capacity and is presently at 59 percent of capacity. If climate change results in a 10 percent reduction in the Colorado River’s average stream flow, as some recent studies predict, the chances of fully depleting reservoir storage will exceed 25 percent by 2057, according to the study. If climate change results in a 20 percent reduction, the chances of fully depleting reservoir storage will exceed 50 percent by 2057.

“On average, drying caused by climate change would increase the risk of fully depleting reservoir storage by nearly 10 times more than the risk we expect from population pressures alone,” said Rajagopalan. “By mid-century this risk translates into a 50 percent chance in any given year of empty reservoirs, an enormous risk and huge water management challenge.”

But even under the most extreme scenario, threats to water supplies won’t be immediate. “There’s a tremendous storage capacity on the Colorado River,” said Rajagopalan. The magnitude of the risk will depend on the extent of climate drying and water management strategies. The authors advocate adaptive management.

That said, Denver Water authorities dispute the findings, citing other studies that point to increases in moisture for the upper Colorado River Basin.

Locally drafted bill hits Washington

In a cosmic coincidence, Durango could make its mark on an important piece of federal legislation. More than two years ago, small business advocate Lloyd Chapman sat in a hotel in Durango and drafted a bill to stop corporations from piggybacking on mom and pop businesses. The Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009, H.R. 2568, was introduced May 21.

The bill was designed to ensure that real small businesses have equal access to federal contracts. Since 2003, more than 15 federal investigations have uncovered the diversion of billions of dollars in federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 corporations. In addition, the American Small Business League estimates that more than $100 billion in federal contracts intended for small businesses go to the likes of Wal-Mart, Home Depot and British Aerospace.

H.R. 2568 would eliminate self certification and put the onus on federal contracting officials to ensure that Fortune 500 firms and other publicly traded firms no longer receive federal small business contracts. Whether the bill drafted in Durango will help Durango small businesses will hinge on the whims of the U.S. House and Senate in coming months.

– Will Sands