Today's NY Times ran a profile of Governor Schweitzer's coal to fuel plan (free registration required, or just use bugmenot.com).
The article is interesting reading. Schweitzer is right; our country is too dependant on the "sheiks, dictators, rats and crooks" who control nation's energy supply.
I don't know if a $7 Billion plan to turn Montana into the supplier of $35/barrel (or is it $42?) will pan out. However, it is exactly the type of forward, long-term thinking that could turn our State around.
Huzzah, Mr. Governor!
Monday, November 21
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I've yet to find an article, though, that provides a critical scientific analysis of the feasibility of his plan. If it isn't feasible, and he should know it, it's just grandstanding. Otherwise, I'm with you.
I don't know if the feasibility that we need is science. The science is rather proven, old tech.
The feasibility required is economic. What are the costs of the inputs, and what can we expect to get out of the outputs?
Where is the seed money for the inputs going to come from? I assume that we are talking about a privately owned venture, with public support of some kind. Is that assumption valid?
It is probably too early to answer many of these questions. However, I would like to see the governor give us a rough business plan. Given the quantity of dollars he is talking about, I don't think it unreasonable to extend that plan out for 20 years or more.
While numbers like that are, almost by definition, just pulled out of someone's arse; it will at least give us a conception of the idea. And right now, were are just talking about an idea.
All great things come from ideas. However, the idea is less than 1% of a finished product.
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