March 31, 2009 |
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FutureCoalFuels.org Update
West Virginia, Wyoming governors tout domestic fuels at world CTL conference Noting that the U.S. is home to a quarter of the world's coal reserves, Manchin highlighted the energy security and economic benefits of coal-based transportation fuels, adding that "turning our back on coal would be catastrophic." Manchin also stressed that new technologies are coming online that can further improve the environmental performance of CTL plants and fuels. Fruedenthal, in a March 26 luncheon address, also touted the environmental benefits of CTL fuels, noting that such fuels can emit far less carbon dioxide than the imported fuels they would replace. In addition, Freudenthal also detailed efforts his state has undertaken to implement ground-breaking rules regulating the underground storage of carbon dioxide. More information on the conference is available here. Baard Energy pulls out of DOE loan guarantee program In a March 26 statement, Baard Energy CEO John Baardson said the company has learned that recent NRDC and Sierra Club legal challenges against permits issued by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will likely delay for years any funding from a DOE guarantee. "DOE has recently made it known to Baard that lawsuits challenging environmental permits will be considered part of the risk evaluation of a project," said Baardson. "Therefore, what should have been an advantage, having the necessary permits that demonstrate the project is shovel-ready, ended up jeopardizing the project because of these lawsuits." "In our judgment, we did not think it was worthwhile to put at risk $1 million dollars of non-refundable submission fees and associated costs to participate in any federal program that has this much uncertainty," said Baardson. "The people of Ohio should know special interests groups are suing the state of Ohio's EPA claiming that permits were issued to our project unreasonably and unlawfully," Baardson said. "These disruptive activities only serve to delay the creation of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in Ohio," he emphasized. When fully constructed, the ORCF plant will produce 53,000 barrels per day of ultra-clean coal-based diesel and jet fuel. The plant will employ thousands of skilled contractors to build the facility over the course of five years and is expected to directly employ more than 400 highly paid operators and crafts to operate the plant. More information on is available here.
The energy security and environmental benefits offered by domestically produced CTL fuels was recently detailed at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. At a March 5 hearing held to examine future federal energy research and development efforts, James Bartis of the Rand Corporation outlined the benefits offered by domestic CTL fuels and summarized steps the federal government could take to accelerate the creation of a domestic CTL industry. Bartis noted that using 15 percent of U.S. coal reserves to produce liquid fuels would be enough to yield 3 million barrels of fuel per day for 90 years. The 3 million barrel per day figure is equivalent to 15 percent of the imported fuel the U.S. uses daily. Bartis also stressed that CTL fuels produced using a combination of coal and biomass, when combined with carbon capture and storage techniques, would emit dramatically less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional imported fuels. To help aid the development of a domestic CTL industry, Bartis told the committee that the federal government should consider subsidizing early production experience from a limited number of CTL plants. He added that the federal government should also look at expanding long-term research and development efforts directed at further developing techniques to produce coal-based fuels using biomass feedstocks. More information is available here. The Coal-to-Liquids Coalition is working to build a strong network of grassroots supporters willing to contact federal and state lawmakers to voice their support for measures meant to spur the domestic production of affordable, clean-burning CTL fuels. A robust CTL grassroots network can be an invaluable tool in helping to increase the bipartisan support for legislation designed to jumpstart the production of ultra-clean CTL fuels. To become a grassroots supporter visit: http://capwiz.com/futurecoalfuels/home/.
As CTL fuel developments transpire, be sure to regularly visit FutureCoalFuels.org for the latest news and information and learn how you can help strengthen America's energy future.
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- 2010-10-19 October 19, 2010 Notice to Shareholders available under Investors (News Releases).
- 2010-10-07 According to a report by China's Xinhua News Agency, China is expected to have the world's largest coal-conversion industry by 2020.
- 2010-10-06 Prof. Frank Clemente, "the world is turning to coal," by 2030, coal consumption will have increased by 53% and coal-fired power generation by 85%. Coal will account for 48% of global incremental electricity generation over the next 20 yrs.
