Coal in your car's tank

The New American ^ | June 9, 2008 | Ed Hiserodt

[Army Air Corps]

Ping to Self.

[marron]

Its old technology. There is no excuse for not doing it.

We should be building coal-to-diesel plants in every coal producing state. Now, already.

[isrul]

I bet there are actually people who would say it was a crime against humanity to use it because it was perfected by the NAZIS. I heard they also made butter from coal.

[RightWhale]

Our local gov’t is spending about $1 million to study building a coal to liquid plant here. It’s not like we are short of oil here, and coal to liquid will not be cheaper, but somebody has to get this started and it looks like local or State will have to do it since FedGov seems to be unaware of any energy solution.

[Army Air Corps]

...local or State will have to do it since FedGov seems to be unaware of any energy solution.

They are aware, but they don't care. Remember, the Feds love problems, but could give a tinker's damn about real workable solutions.

[RightWhale]

That appears to be the case. They have other priorities, which need not be named at this time since we all know.

[Young Werther]

As I've posted before, a coal gasification plant was built in Beulah North Dakota. It went on line in 1981 and has been converting lignite coal to natural gas for the last 27 YEARS!

Converting coal fired plants to coal gasification would be a great investment. Use the Social Security excess cash flow to fund Utility bonds. The Utilities would convert their plants and the and the bond interest would flow into the Social Security fund and also produce economic security!

[tumblindice]

If you are interested in German WWII `cutting-edge’ inventions, like night-vision, leviathan tanks (the `Maus’); vertical take off aircraft, etc.
http://www.somethingawful.com/booklist/about.htm
(`My Tank Is Fight’; for smart people, they did some really stupid things)

[Grut]

Ye gods, Nazi/Apartheid technology, nuclear power, coal mining AND individual POVs? There aren’t enough kittens in the world, you should want the Liberals to have more? ;^)

[DallasDeb]

The USAF has issued a contract to investigate coal liquifaction for aircraft fuel.

[driftdiver]

The energy shortage isn’t a problem for Dems. It is an opportunity.

[Army Air Corps]

An opportunity to be pilloried in the public square by p.o.’ed working men and women?

[RightWhale]

That’s to the good. The Dept of Energy was created over 30 years ago to do this investigation and was funded sufficiently to build coal to liquid plants all over the country by now. It would have been painless, but it still has to be done and it won’t be painless at this point.

[PGR88]

Coal liquifaction powered by a nuclear reactor. I live in NY State. The hardcore left here will never allow such a thing, regardless of how cheap or efficient.

Sad.

[driftdiver]

“An opportunity to be pilloried in the public square by p.o.’ed working men and women?”

No, an opportunity to forward their socialist cause and acquire more power.

[Hazwaste]

I heard they also made butter from coal.

Oh Really?

[Prophet in the wilderness]

It makes you realize how close we came to losing that war.
All the more reason to NOT diddle around when dealing with Iran with all the BS sanctions and crap.

[DemforBush]

I’ve been interested in this idea for quite a while. To me, coal gasification just makes sense. We have the coal (and *lots* of it), we have the gasification technology (and have had for decades), and the resulting fuel burns very cleanly.

It might not be the cheapest solution, especially if oil prices begin to fall/the speculative bubble bursts. But it is a solution that can be accomplished entirely within our borders. And (IMHO) the security it could bring make it more than worth the cost.

[RightWhale]

Butter from coal. I heard that, too. It is likely true.