“a synthetic fuels plant”
The plant is not based on a pie in the sky technology...it’s been around for 25 years and is actually good for the coal industry, which might be a preview of where Trump wants to take his plans for a revived coal industry.
“The Great Plains Synfuels Plant (GPSP) in Beulah, North Dakota has been in operation producing synthetic natural gas (SNG) from lignite coal for 25 years and remains the only coal-to-SNG facility in the United States. In addition to the production of SNG, the plant also produces high purity carbon dioxide (CO2), which is distributed through a pipeline to end users in Canada for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. The plant also produces and sells anhydrous ammonia, as well as the following byproducts: ammonium sulfate, krypton, xenon, dephenolized cresylic acid, liquid nitrogen, phenol, and naphtha, most of the last of which is burned as fuel in plant boilers.”
Just think if, over the next few years, we see the Trump administration rubber stamp 2 or 3 of these types of coal plant technologies in the rust belt. We have a lifetime supply of coal and if he can find a way to integrate that into our energy supply, it will mean energy independence and thousands of, really, lifetime jobs.