[LTCJ]

Coal to liquid conversion has high CO2 emissions.

That's a political issue, not a physical problem.

[Reeses]

It's not a physical problem now, but if the American economy were to double, and China and India's go up by a factor of 10, could increasing use of the atmosphere as a sewer continue? We need either cold fusion, or closed loop chemistry, if we want unrestrained wealth and prosperity in the future. Coal to liquid fuel is an emergency wartime resource, but it's not the long term replacement for petroleum.