The Dakota Gasification Plant in Beullah North Dakota has been producing CLEAN natural gas from lignite coal for 30 years. The plant uses technologies that were developed by the NAZIs during WWII. The NAZI war machine was feuled with avgas, diesel fuel, gasoline and natural gas all made from coal!
With an estimated 200 years of lignite coal why are'nt we doing it everwhere?
My guess is the hot air issuing from dummies fool this debate!
The Dakota coal to natural gas facility was a Carter administration quasi-government boondoggle which produced natural gas at a cost of 5 to 10 times the cost of conventional drilling. It only went into effect because the federal government promised the participants that they could pass through all the costs to the ultimate consumers. It only produced a small amount of natural gas so when averaged in it didn't increase rates that much.
It is a proven technology though and someday it may make economic sense but it hasn't yet.