Herein an introductory explanation of domestic coal-to-oil versus imported petroleum economics.
An excerpt:
"PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 06, 2008 – "Given that the U.S. has 270.7 billion short tons of recoverable coal, or 27% of the worlds' total reserves, the United States can (through coal-to-liquid industrial investments - JtM) reduce its dependency on foreign oil, improve the economies of the coal-bearing states and the country as a whole, increase revenues at the local, state and federal levels, and create domestic jobs in the energy sector and beyond, at a cost that is lower than what we are currently paying for foreign crude," the report states.
.... every time one dollar is spent on foreign goods or oil 6.2 times that dollar goes out of the United States, which has a negative effect on economic growth."
So, does that mean we can divide the cost of building a coal-to-oil plant by 6.2 to get the real investment cost? Probably not, but it might not be that far off the mark. We've tried to make the point that the money invested in domestic coal-to-oil production translates into additional jobs, and taxes, throughout the US economy. And, it shuts off the flow of our money to overseas powers, many of whom aren't all that well-disposed towards us.
It's time to get 'er done - to borrow a phrase.