'coal gasification' and the other coal projects the Department of Energy (I think that is/was their name) has been working on for over 30 years. In fact, even during WWII the German attached walter heater size 'coat gasifiers' which heated coal to give of combustible gases which then went to the carburetor and ran the engine. The 'coal gasifiers' were ugly looking but worked well on trucks and larger cars. Now, would the folk in West Virginia and Penn 'fill up' with some local coal and pass on the ME oil ? I was on one of these 'coal research' projects some years ago, and wonder why we don't hear about all the 'break throughs' that were touted by the Dept. of Energy. Is the emphasis on 'alcohol' new Federal 'Policy' to boost the farm economy and 'coal' to be forgotten even though we have an estimated 250 years of reserves?

The Sun also produces energy and will be here long after coal is all burnt out! Unless you burn enuff coal you cannot see the sun!

Good question, however under the Bush administration we have a secret energy policy. Remember when Dick Cheney went to court to block having to reveal even who attended his policy session, much less what was discussed?

I guess no one can answer your question since we're not allowed to know what elected officials are doing as they go about conducting the public's business.

Evidently Cheney and Exxon had other Ideas!

no one has bothered to 'retro' the coal burning gasification option for the truck and car. So, our 'coal' goes to the power plants where the electricity produced is supposed to charge your 'hybrid car', but direct use of coal as fuel is left in the cold. Growing more 'corn' to make 'alcohol' will raise the food prices, but using coal as a fuel would not raise food prices. Somehow all the workd the Department of Energy did on 'coal' seems to have been halted and 250 years of coal will only feed the power plants. They need to make some 'coal burning' trucks in Penn and W. Virginia to show the way. Probably would not pass the 'pollution' guidelines and the Feds would want to 'stop it'?

All of that money that went into plundering Iraq could have been used for many other good uses!

get a chance to do its ultraviolet damage. Pray for dark, smogy days.

Yes but when your lungs collapse you may forget about the need for coal!

We hear plenty about it.

Problem is, coal is filthy not only when you burn it but also when you mine it. The coal companies have basically killed that golden goose by turning so many people against even the idea of the oxymoronic "clean coal." No such animal. and they've been so irresponsible in their mining operations that most people would prefer to forego whatever new thing comes along. There's no way to get that stuff out of the ground without destroying everything around it.

all 'oil men' that did the deciding. And yet in Florida, there is only 'one' alcohol 'filling station' in Miami for the whole state. Have the 'oil men' also tried to diddle and weaken alcohol as a fuel?

you ought to 'want'. How about 'freeing' up all 'alcohol distillation' restrictions and everyone at home distills alcohol for fuel or drink as they see fit? Your FEDs would not approve since they tax the 'alcohol' as a virtual 'state monopoly'. Sugar production woul increase.

Why wouldn't they? They seem to be profiting quite nicely with Bush and Cheneys energy policy!

Apparently, you can make your own "alcohol distillation" at home.

This morning, the E-Fuel Corporation, a Silicon Valley startup, introduced the first ethanol refinery system designed for home use. The Micro Fueler, a backyard fueling station, can create pure E100 ethanol from sugar feed stock. “It’s third-grade science,” says Thomas Quinn, founder and CEO of E-Fuel. “You just mix together water, sugar and yeast, and in a few hours, you start getting ethanol.” The $9995 Micro Fueler has a can fill its own 35-gallon tank in about a week by fermenting the sugar, water and yeast internally, then separating out the water through a membrane filter.

E-Fuel representatives claim that the initial cost of the machine can be offset by up to 50 percent by federal, state and local credits, and the cost of raw sugar can be brought down to $1 or below through a system of carbon trading coupons. The Micro Fueler can produce a gallon of ethanol from about 10 gallons of sugar.

Quinn dismisses many of the preconceptions about ethanol—lower gas mileage, long-term damage to automotive fuel systems and the need for a “flex-fuel” car—as just myths. Quinn claims that the E100 from the Micro Fueler can be mixed with ordinary gasoline, or even water to a 70/30 ratio—and still maintain a high-enough octane level to provide plenty of power for ordinary vehicles.

The Micro Fueler is for sale now, with deliveries expected by the fourth quarter. Obviously, there are a lot of unknown variables—fuel prices, sugar supply and distribution, and, of course, the machine’s basic reliability—that will determine the potential success or failure of the Micro Fueler. But Quinn, who has a background in the PC business, sees the personal nature of the Micro Fueler as its main selling point. “Ethanol is really the people’s fuel,” he says. “Anybody can make it.” —Glenn Derene

<link>

For 'open pit' mining you will end up with a large swinning pool, but underground mining is still well hidden. You can 'drive' underground from W.Virgiania 'under' Penn for many miles. Maybe we could create an 'Under-State High Way' System if we connected all the coal tunnels in Penn. W. V. Illinois, etc.? It's time for some 'out of the box' imagination.

yes, well Centralia PA might not think that's so great.

<link>

It's not that uncommon in coal country.

<link>