Green fuel supplier linked to deforestation

A TEXAS refinery that supplies green fuel to US airlines has been purchasing animal fat from cattle raised on illegally cleared lands in the Amazon rainforest, according to a Reuters review of government tracking data, interviews and eyewitness accounts.

Louisiana-based Diamond Green Diesel, a joint venture between biofuels producer Darling Ingredients and petroleum refiner Valero Energy, has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into a refinery in Port Arthur, Texas that turns cattle fat – called tallow – into a cleaner alternative to petroleum-based jet fuel and diesel.