CTL! WTF?

When President Bush delivered his last State of the Union address he called for domestic production of 35 billion gallons of "alternative fuel" by 2017 -- not renewable, mind you, but alternative, a word choice that signalled the rise of coal-to-liquid (CTL) technology that aims to put coal in America's gas tanks. Because the US has beaucoup coal, the idea appeals broadly to those worried about reliance on oil. But to anyone concerned about global warming -- and that should be everyone -- the move represents one giant step closer to the brink. That's because CTL would put twice as much carbon into the atmosphere as petroleum fuels.

While the industry claims that sequestration technology would take care of the problem, according to this report in the Christian Science Monitor, none of the plants slated to come on line in the next few years have any near-term plans for carbon capture and underground storage. Furthermore, even if the C02 emissions from the manufacturing process were captured and sequestered, combustion of the resulting fuel would still put more CO2 into the atmosphere than gasoline would. As a final insult, analysts say CTL plants would not be profitable without considerable subsidies. Despite these drawbacks, CTL enjoys bipartisan support in government.