not really "local" news, but the impact will soon affect us locally.....

scientists in arlington, tx have found a way to convert lignite coal into synthetic crude. a process that will move us from $75 a barrel imported crude to $28 domestic crude.

Arlington scientists find way to make cheap gas from coal | Dallas - Fort Worth News | wfaa.com | News (http://www.wfaa.com/news/gasoline-84801677.html)

Nearly sounds too good to be true, doesn't it.

Sounds awful if your economy is based on oil and gas.

Hopefully, the carbon emissions for this process are out the wazoo and we can continue to enjoy the prices we're experiencing now. $28/barrel crude translates into economic calamity for OKC.

Sounds awful if your economy is based on oil and gas.

Hopefully, the carbon emissions for this process are out the wazoo and we can continue to enjoy the prices we're experiencing now. $28/barrel crude translates into economic calamity for OKC.

Some times I look at things in unselfish ways and see what might be better for more than just me and mine. Didn't mean to step on any toes.

Yeah, lets keep polluting up the atmosphere as it is... If it's better, then we need to find a way to make it the common fuel source. By the time this thing gets tested and actually put out into market, Devon will have built another skyscraper. It's not like it's going to be instant technology...

somewhere, someway, someone will find a way to keep the money flowing.
Hands might change, but the money? Not typically.

Come to think of it, they didn't mention anything about waste and/or by-products and the benefits and/or problems that could result from the process.

This would be a disaster for Oklahoma. We need to diversify now if this begins to gain ground.

Lignite coal puts out a lot of emissions, and not just CO2. Asthma rates can skyrocket if this stuff is burned en masse.

Synthetic crude may be cheap, but it isn't good for our health. Gasoline emissions, period, isn't good for our health. Screw carbon emissions, it's our lungs we need to be worried about, not global warming.

This doesn't worry me about OKC's economy because you all are forgetting that OKC's energy companies are pushing natural gas, not oil.

Synthetic crude may be cheap, but it isn't good for our health. Gasoline emissions, period, isn't good for our health. Screw carbon emissions, it's our lungs we need to be worried about, not global warming.


This is the point I make a lot in any Global Warming debate. Forget the hype about the planet's temperature and such...most of the crap that is causing whatever warming people are claiming, is usually because of burning things that are bad for our health anyway. Worry more about clean air and not having to worry about having breathing problems down the line, and forget about a subject that gets too easily sidetracked by politics.

As far as this new coal technology. Anytime I hear the phrase "clean coal" I just laugh. Yeah $30 or whatever would be nice as a consumer...but if I'm hacking and gasping for air all the time because of it, no thanks. On the flip side, if any new technologies come up that allow us to get fuel costs down significantly - screw the whole "it'll hurt Oklahoma" arguments. We have to adapt and evolve to changing economic conditions. If we fail to diversify into new industries and hit an oil bust again, that is our own damn fault. The protectionist actions to try to keep fuel prices elevated for the benefit of a few needs to end. There are many more people, cities, states, etc...that would love to see oil prices drop back down when compared to the oil producing states.

Sounds awful if your economy is based on oil and gas.

Hopefully, the carbon emissions for this process are out the wazoo and we can continue to enjoy the prices we're experiencing now. $28/barrel crude translates into economic calamity for OKC.

I'm with Midtowner about the calamity for OKC. We rely to much on oil, coal, & natural gas to run our economy. If we can find another source of income...more power to it. But right now this is what we've got & yes I want new forms of clean energy too.

I thought the Germans did this in WWII - made fuel from coal?

I'm with Midtowner about the calamity for OKC. We rely to much on oil, coal, & natural gas to run our economy. If we can find another source of income...more power to it. But right now this is what we've got & yes I want new forms of clean energy too.

I guess it becomes a matter of how long do we wait around before getting extremely aggressive in getting other forms of industry in this city to supplement/replace the oil & gas industries. Prices will eventually fall and we'll need to be prepared.

Hmmm...clean air, or cheap gas? Not a hard decision for me. The current gas prices are perfectly manageable and I'd rather keep paying $2.40-ish per gallon than get lung cancer or some junk.

There's always more to these types of stories. Also, according to the article they signed a deal with an oil company - think about that for a second.

People also forget about Houston's heavy dependence on the oil industry. More than a dozen major oil firms are based in Houston, and many more have offices in Houston. Think it will be calamity for OKC? It will punch a nasty hole in Houston's economy, and 17,000 jobs are already being threatened since Wiashington is considering pulling the plug on some of NASA's operations, especially canceling our 2018 trip to the moon.

This doesn't make me worry about OKC's economy. Oil companies are really energy companies. If they run out of one resource, they'll find something else energy related to sell. Most energy firms think ahead about stuff like this.