FACT SHEET: U.S.-China Commercial Relations | The White House
We regret that we are so late in bringing you what seems to be an official White House news release, or background information sheet, as accessible via the above link.
We actually recorded it quite a long time ago; but, it became lost among the, quite literally, 10,000+ reports and references we have recorded and in preparation concerning the facts that both Coal and Carbon Dioxide can be converted or, respectively, recycled into gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals, and, that Coal Ash can serve as a mineral raw material for the manufacture of construction materials or as an "ore" for the extraction of valuable compounds and elements.
As we've many times reported, China has embarked on an ambitious plan of development to establish for herself a broad-based industry founded on the technology for converting Coal into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons.
And, despite a few contrary, and likely specious, news reports we've seen to the contrary, as we saw in:
China Makes "Huge Profits" from Coal Liquefaction | Research & Development, wherein we're told, that:
"Shenhua Group, China's largest coal producer, has made huge profits from its pilot coal-to-liquid (CTL) project in north China",
it seems to be working out for them.
It is working out so well, in fact, that the office of President Obama's Press Secretary, in a press release concerning the visit of a Chinese commercial delegation, acknowledged that China's Coal conversion industry will result in the creation of United States jobs.
As we see in excerpts from the initial link in this dispatch:
"The White House
Office of the Press Secretary; January 19, 2011
FACT SHEET: U.S.-China Commercial Relations
China is a key market for U.S. exports. Those exports are generating jobs in every corner of the United States and across every major sector. These involve some of our country’s largest companies, but also an increasing number of small and medium-sized enterprises.
In preparation for this visit, several large purchases have been approved (and) the Chinese government has indicated that its companies signed 70 contracts for $25 billion in U.S. exports from 12 states. These included sectors ranging from auto parts to agriculture, machinery to chemicals. In addition, 11 investment contracts were signed worth $3.24 billion.
These cross-border collaborations, both public and private, underpin the expanding U.S.-China commercial partnership, contributing to economic growth and development in both countries. A number of these transactions highlight the increased collaboration in such areas as clean energy and green technologies. Examples of some of the deals associated with this visit include:
General Electric-Shenhua Gasification Joint Venture: GE and China Shenhua Energy Company Limited (Beijing, China) have formed a joint venture company in order to combine GE’s expertise in gasification and cleaner power generation technologies with Shenhua’s expertise in building and operating gasification and power generation facilities. The joint venture will seek to advance cleaner coal technology solutions for industrial chemicals, fuels, and power generation. GE estimates approximately $150 million in U.S. exports over the first five years of the joint venture, mainly related to technology licensing, engineering, and R&D support. Additionally, the joint venture has potential to generate $1.5 to 2.5 billion in U.S. exports over the long term.
(Concerning GE's interests in Coal conversion, see:
GE Converts China Coal to Methanol | Research & Development; which reports that: "One of the World’s Largest Coal-to-Olefins Gasification Units Starts Up in China; 2010; The gasification unit at one of the world’s largest coal-to-olefins projects successfully started up at the China Shenhua Coal to Liquid and Chemical Co. Ltd.’s project in Baotou, Inner Mongolia (Shenhua Baotou Coal to Olefins project). The gasification unit uses advanced coal gasification technology provided by GE (NYSE:GE). Gasification technology is critical for the expansion of the Chinese economy, allowing a wide variety of industrial products and fuels to be created from low-cost and abundant coal resources. GE’s gasification technology is one of the most widely applied technologies of its kind in China, with more than 40 licensed facilities.)
Honeywell—Haier Group Memorandum of Understanding for Global Strategic Cooperation: Honeywell International Inc., headquartered in Morris Township, New Jersey (Honeywell), entered into an agreement with Haier Group (Haier) to collaborate on the development and promotion of low-emission, high energy-efficiency products and solutions. Honeywell estimates the total value of the five-year MOU at $53 million per annum, or $265 million and U.S. export content at $42 million per annum, or $210 million.
(We don't know from the generic statement "low-emission, high energy-efficiency products and solutions" might actually mean, but, as we reported in:
West Virginia Coal Association | US Corp. Helps China Liquefy Coal | Research & Development; wherein we're told, in part: "The largest coal company in the world, the Shenhua Group Corporation, is developing coal-to-liquid and coal-to-chemicals plants worth US $10 billion. Shenhua selected Honeywell to carry out a coal liquefaction project";
and, in:
West Virginia Coal Association | Honeywell Recycles CO2 with Algae | Research & Development; which tells us, that: "Honeywell's UOP Awarded Funding for Carbon Dioxide Reuse Through Algae Biofuel Production; UOP, a Honeywell company, announced today that it has been awarded a $1.5 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Energy for a project to demonstrate technology to capture carbon dioxide and produce algae for use in biofuel and energy production. The funding will be used for the design of a demonstration system that will capture carbon dioxide from exhaust stacks at Honeywell’s manufacturing facility in Hopewell, Va., and deliver the captured CO2 to a cultivation system for algae. Algal oil can then be extracted from the algae for conversion to biofuels, and the algae residual can be converted to pyrolysis oil, which can be burned to generate renewable electricity";
and, since it's noted above that "UOP", formerly known as "Universal Oil Products", is now a part of Honeywell, in:
West Virginia Coal Association | Chicago 1945 Coal to High-Octane Gasoline | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 2,377,728 - Hydrogenation of Hydrocarbonaceous Materials; 1945; Assignee: Universal Oil Products, Chicago; Abstract: This invention relates to the production of valuable liquid products including high antiknock motor fuel from coal";
it could indicate a number of things that might be of interest to any number of out-of-work or underemployed folk in US Coal Country.)
LanzaTech--Bao Steel Joint Venture to Build an Ethanol Plant: LanzaTech Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of LanzaTech New Zealand, headquartered in Roselle, Illinois (LanzaTech), and Bao Steel Group Corporation (Bao Steel), will conclude a Contractual Joint Venture Contract for the construction and operation of a demonstration ethanol production facility in China. The facility will utilize waste flue gas from Bao Steel’s Shanghai steel mill as feed stock and LanzaTech proprietary gas fermentation technology to produce ethanol.
LP Amina MOU with Yixing Union Congregation Co. Ltd: LP Amina, a multinational environmental engineering company headquartered in Novi, Michigan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Yi Xing Union Congregation Co., Ltd, a Chinese energy and chemical company. The MOU will formalize plans in advance of an expected contract signing, which will establish a collaborative pilot project to demonstrate LP Amina’s patent-pending Coal to Chemicals System. This innovative technology will couple chemical production with power generation and enable the use of thermal energy generated from the chemical production for additional efficiency power generation. This process would also reduce emissions by nearly 90% compared to the conventional production process in use today. Once commercialized, LP Amina estimates that this technology could be deployed in the United States creating up to 500 jobs.
Celanese -- Wison Group Memorandum of Understanding for Ethanol Production: Celanese Far East Co., a subsidiary of Celanese Corporation headquartered in Dallas, Texas (Celanese), and Wison Group Holding Limited (Wison), will conclude a Memorandum of Understanding for the construction and operation of an industrial ethanol production facility in China. Wison plans to invest in a coal gasification unit based on clean coal technology to produce synthesis gas per Celanese specs, and Celanese plans to invest approximately $650 million in an Ethanol Complex using the output from Wison as feed stock, and Celanese proprietary technology, to produce ethanol for industrial use, and potentially for fuel ethanol. This transaction is valued at approximately $815 million, with $50-80 million in U.S. export content. Celanese estimates project implementation will support an estimated 200-250 U.S. jobs.
Peabody Energy and Yankuang Xinjiang Nenghua Company Limited MOU: Peabody Energy, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri and Yankuang Xinjiang Nenghua Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yankuang Group Company Limited, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop an integrated clean energy center in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The center will include construction of an ultra supercritical clean coal electricity generation project and coal-to-natural gas conversion facility fueled by a new open-cut coal mine.
(See:
West Virginia Coal Association | Peabody Energy in China | Research & Development; "Peabody Energy Corp. said it is considering an investment in a large new surface mine in the coal-rich Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region of northwestern China (and) the company announced a $2.5 billion project to develop a mine in coal-rich Inner Mongolia and a plant to convert coal into methanol and chemicals".)
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All of the above, as with General Electric's efforts, are "mainly related to technology licensing, engineering, and R&D support" for China's Coal gasification and liquefaction industry. And, all of them together, if you add up the numbers provided, won't result in any more US jobs than would half a dozen average-sized Coal mines in Appalachia.
If all of that, heck, if any of that, were taking place anywhere in US Coal Country, how many more jobs would it mean for Coal Miners, Chemical Plant Workers, Truck Drivers and Steel Workers?
We titled this dispatch "Obama White House Says China Coal-to-Liquids = US Jobs".
Wouldn't a similar dispatch entitled "Obama White House Says United States Coal-to-Liquids = One Helluva Lot of US Jobs" sound quite a bit better?
Here's a thought:
Since it's the White House who seems to think that it's such a great thing that we're getting a few supporting role jobs in the United States because a few US companies are helping China forge her way to a future hydrocarbon fuel self-sufficiency based on Coal, shouldn't someone ask the White House if it wouldn't be even a better thing if those same US companies were helping the United States forge her way to a future hydrocarbon fuel self-sufficiency based on Coal?
And, since the Coal Country press doesn't seem to have the nerve or the heart to start doing it openly or publicly on the front pages of their papers, here's someone who could, and just might, do it, directly and maybe semi-privately; someone who likely has a central White House number programmed into his cell phone; and, someone who could likely ask the questions that needed to be asked, and maybe expect to get a few answers:
Richard Trumka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; "Richard Louis Trumka ... was elected President of the AFL-CIO on September 16, 2009, at the labor federation's convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO from 1995 to 2009, and prior to that was President of the United Mine Workers from 1982 to December 22, 1995. Trumka was named one of Esquire Magazine's 2011 Americans of the Year".
There are a couple of issues Rich could ask the President of the United States about right off the bat, i.e., what is the current status of:
Bill Summary & Status - 110th Congress (2007 - 2008) - H.R.370 - THOMAS (Library of Congress); "H.R.370; Latest Title: Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act of 2007"; and, of:
Bill Summary & Status - 110th Congress (2007 - 2008) - S.155 - THOMAS (Library of Congress);
"S.155; Latest Title:Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act of 2007; Cosponsors: Robert Byrd, Barack Obama, et. al.".
And, our guess is that good ole Rich would take a few calls from a few old Coal miners asking him to do just that.
If any one does call him, tell him that an old Roof Bolter from the long-gone UMWA Local 1941 sent you; and, that we're proud of him.