• Cows eat food made from byproducts produced by ethanol plants.cow. cow in farm/field image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
  
  Ethanol is a renewable fuel technology that uses the starches from corn and sugar cane to create fuel. Several byproducts remain after the process, including proteins, fibers, fats, vitamins and minerals, which are then made into feed for livestock.
  
  

Stockton

• The ethanol plant located at Stockton, California began operation in September 2008. Each year it produces 60 million gallons of ethanol, which is then sold via Kinergy Marketing, a sister company to Pacific Ethanol, the plant's owner. It took approximately 14 months to complete the construction of the 30-acre site, where the company has a 50-year lease. The Stockton plant is located in close proximity to the Port of Stockton and the Stockton Deepwater Ship Channel. Several major highway systems are in the vicinity, and the plant is serviced by two railroads, the Union Pacific and the Burlington North Santa Fe.
  
  

Madera

• A 40 million gallon per year ethanol plant is located at Madera, California. It began operation in October 2006. Also owned by Pacific Ethanol, the fuel was distributed by Kinergy Marketing. In January 2009, it was necessary for operations at the plant to be temporarily suspended due to unfavorable market conditions. Pacific Ethanol agreed to participate, however, in a state-funded program called the California Ethanol Producer Incentive Program and will resume production in January of 2011.
  
  

Imperial Valley

• A third ethanol facility, located in Imperial Valley, California, is owned by California Ethanol and Power. The plant, which will utilize sugarcane instead of corn, is expected to begin operation in the second quarter of 2012, although groundbreaking for the plant occurred in early 2010. It is expected that this plant will emit 95 percent less air emissions than would producing the same amount of traditional fuel.