Monday, August 22, 2005

News quiz: Guess the [mystery substance]

As oil prices soar, [mystery substance] is getting more attention as an alternative fuel source, particularly in Texas, the country's biggest producer of [mystery substance].

For years, researchers have studied [mystery substance] as a [deleted to avoid giving it away]. But at a time when state and federal energy bills have called for increasing renewable energy sources, there is more focus on developing [mystery substance] as an alternative to coal or natural gas.

"I see it as a valuable tool in our tool box," said John Sweeten, resident director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in Amarillo. "Sixty-dollar-a-barrel oil recruits a lot of interest in biomass. At $10-a-barrel oil, there's not much interest."

The Panda Group of Dallas plans to fuel a $120 million ethanol plant set to open next year in Hereford with [mystery substance]. ... The company said it will realize an energy savings equivalent to 1,000 barrels of oil per day turning [mystery substance] and cotton gin waste into clean-burning fuel to power the plant.

Biomass is renewable organic matter, such as [mystery substance] and crops like corn, grain sorghum and soybeans, all of which can be processed into ethanol.

"Anything that's renewable and is at least competitive with other prices, it's better for everybody," said Donald L. Klass, director of Biomass Energy Research Association in Washington. ...

Nearly 5 million [deleted to avoid giving it away] ... produce billions of pounds of [mystery substance].
--The Associated Press

OK, guess away--and remember, Texas is the biggest producer of [mystery substance].

And no cheating.

9 comments:

Grammarian@mindspring.com said...

Arrogance?

fakies said...

Cow patties?

Jovianne said...

How to say this...
Cow Gas? Cow fertilizer by-product?
(arrogance is a good answer, actually)

John said...

Yeah, I'm going with manure.

Grammarian@mindspring.com said...

The only US Presidents actually born in Texas were Lyndon Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower. Bush the Lesser was born and bred in Connecticut.

Anonymous said...

cow farts---er, methane

produced by the decomposition of organic matter, esp. feces. Texas better watch out for Kansas, and all that pig shit!

Anonymous said...

I want to work for the Panda Group of Dallas just so I can say, "I'm with the Panda Group." That's got to be better than saying, "I'm with Biomass." I bet Panda Group employees sleep most of the day and get to suck on menthol-eucalyptus drops.

Peter said...

Duuuude... Is it... peyote??? Because man, that would totally rawck!!!!

Okay, it's either that or manure.

Anonymous said...

Cotton?