Sometime near the end of this year, a refinery in the Panhandle will start using fat from Texas cattle to help feed the nation's hunger for fuel.

The biodiesel project in Borger is part of a $100 million commitment by Houston-based ConocoPhillips, which is joining most other major oil companies in developing alternative fuels.

Even as they invest in green energy initiatives, though, the tried-and-true lineup of fossil fuels will provide most of the nation's energy through the next quarter-century, the federal government predicts.

The Energy Information Administration's 2007 outlook to 2030 says oil, coal and natural gas are expected to provide more than 80 percent of the U.S. primary energy supply despite rapid growth projections for biofuels and other nonhydroelectric renewables.

That's about the same percentage those fossil fuels provide today, the agency said.