Wes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Talked to a guy at WDOE, says that if the gas
> comes from coal, it counts as coal to them and
> will be prohibited in Washington. New law may
> already exist, remember June 1, 280 new laws took
> effect in Washington State, July 1 more take
> effect including the hands free cell phone
> requirement and another gas tax increase.

This is why professional environmentalists are so looney. If the methanized coal gas is injected into a nominal natural gas pipeline, it is indistiguishable from wellhead natural gas. There is no way in h**l anyone at WSDOE could prohibit an in-state natural gas fired power plant from paying for natural gas pumped out of the adjacent pipeline even if a certain percentage of that natural gas is synthetic in origin. The only thing they could do is prohibit a utility from paying the lesser cost of synthetic natural gas, so in the end they can stick it to the consumer but they can't prevent out of state coal gasifiers from supplying the product. In fact, some of the natural gas used in the state of Washington may already come from a synthetic source - the Great Plains facility in North Dakota has been providing syngas for a few decades now. If BC develops a few syngas plants, what's Washington going to do? Ban imports of natural gas altogether!?

Here's another dilemna for the WA tyrants: A natural gas fired power plant can be located out of state, and by WA law an in-state utility is encouraged to develop/purchase electricity generated via natural gas, in-state or out of state. There is no legal recourse by which they could audit an out of state power plant to make sure the natural gas they use isn't from a synthetic source. Only the feds have that authority.

It may come as a shock to them, but neither the Washington State Legislature nor Guv Chrissy has any authority over the energy practices of other states.

Aaaahhh! Some days it's sheer Nirvana to be an Idahoan!