We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember John Rumm saying something like:
There's been a pilot plant running for several years, making biodiesel and other hydrocarbons from general waste, but especially organic waste, as from chicken/turkey houses, sewage sludge, etc. In short, nearly anything that can be cooked and pressurised is rendered into useful fuels. Last time I read about it was a couple of years ago, but haven't looked it up since. Shades of Soylent Green.