Louisiana DOC Looking At BioFuels To Save Costs
The agency that runs Louisiana’s prisons is trying to cut costs by turning kitchen grease into biodiesel fuel.
State Rep. Tom McVea … warned state Department of Corrections’ officials that they will have to be creative. “Y’all got quite a challenge on your hands. … There’s got to be some innovative thinking,” McVea said during a meeting of the legislative Subcommittee on Public Safety and Corrections. With state general fund revenue expected to drop by $1.2 billion in the upcoming budget year that starts July 1, agencies are slashing travel, halting hiring and looking for other ways to trim costs …
The corrections department is vulnerable because 88 percent of its $543 million budget comes from the state general fund, which is suffering a downturn in revenue. The agency spends 70 percent of its budget — or $382 million — on salaries and benefits. The agency’s undersecretary, Thomas Bickham, said his agency is trying to cut costs through privatizing services such as food. He said the department also is buying equipment to turn kitchen grease into biodiesel fuel. “We produce a lot of grease at our institutions. We fry a lot of food for these guys,” Bickham said.
There is more information from The Advocate.
Economic Issues, Environment and Energy, Food Services, Louisiana