Farm Waste as an Energy Source

Eastern North Carolina's largest utility and the region's largest hog producer say they found an economical way to generate energy from farm waste.

"For us, it has a lot of positives," said Don Butler, spokesman for Smithfield subsidiary Murphy-Brown. "We're sequestering greenhouse gases, utilizing what we have to make fuel and energy, and creating a revenue stream."

The proposal comes at a time of increasing interest in alternative forms of energy generation. The state legislature is considering requiring utilities to produce at least some of their energy from sources other than coal or uranium.