Source: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15495658&BRD=2626&PAG=461&dept_id=536271&rfi=8 Proposed technology has WWII-era roots 11/02/2005 To the Editor: I did as the caller to Thunder Enlightening suggested and looked at the website energyjustice.org. I found some interesting things under the heading "Alternative Fuels." Coal-to-gas technology is not new. It was started during World War II in Nazi Germany. Dr. Bruce Dale of Michigan State University states that the net energy of the coal-to-gas plant would be 100 percent. That means for every two units of energy fed into the plant, one would be produced. Is this like putting $2 in a machine and getting $1 in return? Among the long list of negatives on this website are the following: • In South Africa, a plant like this allegedly has an odor that can be detected two hours away. • Pennsylvania classifies this area as an "environmental justice community." Slag produced is estimated to be 803 tons per day; soot, 201 tons per day; and water used, 86 million gallons per day. All of the above-mentioned items and more are on the website. One of the major concerns for all should be water usage. The fact that most municipal reservoirs have been breached and tanks with wells now supply water to a lot of communities. Will there be enough groundwater left for human consumption? We need to reduce dependency on foreign oil and get rid of trash, waste and culm, etc., but is this the best way? Daniel Pascavage Delano

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