Eastman marks 25 years in coal gasification Published 06/14/2008 By Sharon Caskey Hayes KINGSPORT — In the 1970s, scientists, researchers and engineers at Eastman Kodak Co. started searching for ways to offset rising energy prices. The company’s operating costs were on the increase due to escalating oil and natural gas prices exacerbated by the oil embargo. Indeed, crude oil had jumped in price from $3 a barrel in 1972 to a whopping $12 a barrel by the end of 1974. Eastman researchers began exploring other potential sources of raw materials to fill the company’s growing needs. And they didn’t have...