Coal-to-diesel idea promising

     Whatever else it has meant for America, the Sept. 11 terrorism underscored the folly of U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
     And while some people believe it  mandates drilling for petroleum in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other environmentally sensitive areas, others see the logic in developing legitimate alternative fuels, utilizing the kind of ingenuity and entrepreneurial skills on which America was built.
     Unfortunately, expanded oil drilling and alternative fuel development are tied together in the energy package that remains bottled up in the U.S. Senate, where drilling in ANWR is a key item of debate. Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., who sets the agenda, opposes ANWR drilling, which is supported by the president and included in the energy bill approved by the House last summer.
     What that means for Pennsylvania in particular is that construction of a $450 million plant in Schuylkill County to convert coal waste into diesel fuel is on hold.
     John W. Rich, Jr., scion of a family that made its fortune in mining coal, wants to apply proven South African technology to produce 5,000 barrels a day of sulfur-free diesel fuel and eliminate 1 million tons a year of environmentally damaging coal waste from Pennsylvania's coal regions.
     Rich's proposal has won political support and tax credits from the state and a $7.8 million startup grant from the federal government. He hopes that the energy bill, if it ever passes, will provide up to $100 million more, completing a financial package that includes investments from Chevron-Texaco and a Bechtel affiliate.
     America's oil resources are so limited and difficult to tap that some foreign oil will always be required here. On the other hand, coal-waste conversion to diesel, a proven technology, would make use of a ready supply of coal and coal waste in Pennsylvania that, in oil equivalent, exceeds the known petroleum reserves of Iraq.
     Not only would this technology cut into the need for foreign oil, but its cost, in comparison to the expense of drilling in ANWR and piping the crude oil south to the Lower 48, quite likely would underscore the folly of that proposal.
     The Senate needs to settle on a compromise and pass an energy bill to make practical alternatives to Middle Eastern oil a reality.

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