Colorado corrections officials propose biodiesel operations at prison farms

In Colorado, state prison officials are examining options to add biodiesel operations to state diaries and farms that are managed by the Colorado Corrections Industries and provide food, work and training for the state inmates. CCI officials suggested that they could provide a low-cost workforce that could be used to cultivate biodiesel crops and collect waste grease, and that the resulting revenues from a biodiesel partnership would cover the costs of the program, including prisoner supervision and transport. CCI does not received taxpayer support for its programs, but are self-funded through product sales. The state’s prison system is looking for a partner to help refine biodiesel using inmate labor as a cheap, dependable work force.

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