The Democratic governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer, is talking about an eighty-year-old technology that could help Montana alone "supply the entire United States with its aviation, gas and diesel fuel for 40 years without creating environmental damage."Don't get me wrong, this is certainly something that should be investigated and probably done but I do a some concerns."I am leading this country in this desire and demand to convert coal into gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel. We can do it in Montana for $1 per gallon," he said.
"We can do it cheaper than importing oil from the sheiks, dictators, rats and crooks that we're bringing it from right now."
What's that?
Turns out that it's possible to convert coal into gasoline and diesel with zero emissions of mercury and the other pollutants usually associated with coal. So, why haven't we been doing this all along?The Fischer-Tropsch technology, discovered by German researchers in 1923 and later used by the Nazis to convert coal into wartime fuels, was not economical as long as oil cost less than $30 a barrel. But with U.S. crude oil now hitting more than double that price, Gov. Brian Schweitzer's plan is getting more attention across the country and some analysts are taking him very seriously.
- Will it be used as an excuse to avoid weaning ourselves from carbon based fuels? My guess is yes.
- I guess I would need to see some evidence of this: "zero emissions of mercury and the other pollutants usually associated with coal".
- The same corrupt players would manage to get control of the entire operation and take us all to the cleaners with another resource. The robber barons at the oil companies won't let it happen as long as there is oil to be pumped and as long as the Bush crime family is in charge they will get what they want.
Update
As he indicated in the comments section, Big Gav at Peak Energy has more on this subject.
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