today's trash, tomorrow's power?

The opener is bold, optimistic.

If all the organic waste generated in the state each year were converted to energy, it would meet 50 percent of the state’s energy needs, according to a report released by the state Department of Ecology.

Wood milling waste, food processing waste, kitchen waste, cow poop, chicken poop. The fruits of capitalism, rotting on the ground, waiting to be snatched up and burned, maybe, in the pursuit of renewable and sustainable energy.

The reality check, though, is almost parenthetical, buried paragraphs down:

The report does not estimate the cost of collecting the waste, or power production costs.

So don't get too excited just yet.