Archive Report
Archive Report
Search for Oil Substitutes
Carter's Program for Synfuel Development
Synthetic fuels have never been an important part of the U.S. energy picture. But what some are calling “synthetic fuels fever” broke out in Washington this summer. Spurred primarily by the long gas station lines that had appeared across the nation, the House of Representatives passed a bill in June to boost U.S. production of synthetic fuels — primarily oil derived from coal and shale rock. Then on July 15, President Carter called for an $88-billion, 10-year program to produce 2.5 million barrels of synthetic oil a day by 1990. If approved by Congress, Carter's program will put in motion one of the most extensive technological and financial ventures ever undertaken. His energy proposals are likely to ...