Article

2005-11-21 Science & Technology

Montana's Governor offers America Homegrown Energy Solutions

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Posted by ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding 2005-11-21 17:45|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 When the price is right, the energy companies will bite. But I don't think that's anytime soon.

Posted by Darrell 2005-11-21 21:23|| 2005-11-21 21:23|| Front Page Top

#2 One surprising thing, thus far, is that many people in the environmental community have not rejected the coal-to-fuel idea out of hand.

Because the environmentalists realize that synfuel from Montana coal will probably cost something like $120/barrel including pollution control and land reclamation they realize its just a talking point.

Posted by mhw 2005-11-21 21:54|| 2005-11-21 21:54|| Front Page Top

#3 Not while the price of oil keeps falling. But if we had a floor of, say, $50 per barrel levied via import fees and extraction taxes on domestic crude, oils companies would start exploiting it immediately.

Posted by Gloluter Omeaper3953 2005-11-21 21:54|| 2005-11-21 21:54|| Front Page Top

#4 HERE is a powerpoint presentation of the basics of the Fischer-Tropsch process. There have been quite a few improvements on the basic process that was developed back in 1923. Basically one would use coal and natural gas in the presence of a catalyst and pressure to build synthetic hydrocarbon fuels.

Posted by Alaska Paul">Alaska Paul 2005-11-21 21:59|| 2005-11-21 21:59|| Front Page Top

#5 GO3953: Not while the price of oil keeps falling. But if we had a floor of, say, $50 per barrel levied via import fees and extraction taxes on domestic crude, oils companies would start exploiting it immediately.

I think this might be politically feasible, assuming that offsetting across the board income tax cuts were also implemented. But politicians who want to hike gas taxes never mention tax cuts. Which is another way of saying that most of the pro-gas tax crowd are classic tax-and-spenders.

Posted by Elmenter Snineque1852 2005-11-21 22:02|| 2005-11-21 22:02|| Front Page Top

#6 Article: Neither of these plants would come close to the scale of the plants Mr. Schweitzer is envisioning in Montana, where it would cost upward of $7 billion to build a plant that could turn out 150,000 barrels of synthetic fuel a day, for about $35 a barrel.

I can see why the oil companies are begging off. Both the winning and losing bids in the Unocal acquisition saga involved paying no more than the high teens per barrel of oil reserves. Why would oil companies want to pay double that for coal gasification infrastructure in Montana?

Posted by Elmenter Snineque1852 2005-11-21 22:07|| 2005-11-21 22:07|| Front Page Top

#7 People have to quit thinking about how much the oil companies make, are willing to pay and willing to risk. We need a stratigic fuels program. Screw the oil companies and enviros. If tehy can't get out of the way run over them. Make them road kill on the way to energy independence.

We need to be free of foreign control over our energy future. There are only 2 things we have lots of that can provide that, Coal and Nuclear power. Time to get with it and quit being held hostage to oil company profits and Middle Eastern assclowns. This is one way of many we can use to get their.

Posted by Mahou Sensei Negi-bozu 2005-11-21 23:21|| 2005-11-21 23:21|| Front Page Top

#8 Still, they worry about strip mining the ranch country and about whether there will be a global commitment to make synthetic fuels the clean way rather than in a dirtier way along..

Geez, there's always something these guys have a beef with...

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2005-11-21 23:51|| 2005-11-21 23:51|| Front Page Top

#9 Look at the SynFuel plant in the Dakotas. It works well converting coal to gas and has almost no pollution.

Posted by 3dc 2005-11-21 23:57|| 2005-11-21 23:57|| Front Page Top

23:57 3dc
23:51 Bomb-a-rama
23:46 Frank G
23:44 Slomotch Ebbager8829
23:31 Atomic Conspiracy
23:21 Mahou Sensei Negi-bozu
23:12 Red Dog
23:09 mom
23:04 Red Dog
22:50 Ernest Brown
22:36 11A5S
22:31 Red Dog
22:09 Frank G
22:07 Elmenter Snineque1852
22:06 Frank G
22:06 Scooter McGruder
22:02 Elmenter Snineque1852
22:02 The Happy Fliegerabwehrkanonen
22:01 DMFD
22:00 Matt K.
21:59 Alaska Paul
21:56 anymouse
21:54 Gloluter Omeaper3953
21:54 mhw