Of Nelsons Willie and Don

Willie Nelson and former Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson share more than just a thing for Hawaii; seems both are willing to bet a little bank on biodiesel fuel, damned hippies. In The New York Times today is a piece about the Monday grand opening down at the Carl's Corner truck stop of one of two biodiesel production facilities in which the country singer-songwriter and his wife Annie have invested, backing up their long and loud affection for the fuel produced by mixing alchohol and animal or vegetable oil. But they aren't the only ones who've sunk a little of their hard-earned into the place. Says The Times, "The Dallas Mavericks assistant coach, Del Harris, the former Dallas Mavericks head coach, Don Nelson, and Carl Cornelius's original partner at the truck stop, the Dallas stockbroker, Monk White, are a few of the other investors in the plant, which will be run by Pacific Biodiesel, the company that fuels the Nelsons' cars in Hawaii." Nelson convinced Cornelius to start selling biodiesel at the truck stop in October 2004, and now they're making the stuff down there as well--about 8,000 gallons of biodiesel per day, or two million gallons annually. But, says Bob King, Pacific Biodiesel's president, "we have the capacity to double production here at Carl's Corner to more than four million gallons," which would make it PB's biggest biodiesel production plant in the country. Man, I remember when all Carl's Corner used to be known for was its so-so burgers, the Tango dancing frogs and the world's worst topless bar in the history of nudity. --Robert Wilonsky