CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Gov. Matt Mead said Friday that he returned from China this week confident that Wyoming should continue exploring how to export coal to meet that nation’s growing demand.
Mead and other Wyoming officials represented the state at the 2012 International Advanced Coal Technologies Conference in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, the nation’s largest coal-producing region.
Officials from China and representatives from Australia’s national science agency also attended.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Mead said China is clearly ahead of the United States in employing advanced coal technologies, such as building gasification plants that convert coal to gas fuels.
“I think that the next step is that we want to continue to observe what they’re doing in regard to gasification and how those gasification projects evolve,” Mead said. “The gasification of coal is not a one-size-fits-all. Each one is a little bit different.”
Mead said development in China gives Wyoming an opportunity to learn from efforts there.
“As a continent, I think there are opportunities for Asia to accept imports of Wyoming coal,” Mead said. He acknowledged that the state faces some challenges in getting that done.
Many in the Northwestern United States have voiced opposition to the prospect of being on the receiving end of countless Wyoming coal trains servicing ships bound for China. Opponents say they’re concerned about dust, noise and other environmental concerns.
Wyoming, the leader in coal production in the United States, is particularly keen to find new markets for its coal in the face of a national slump in demand brought about by cheaper natural gas prices. Tax revenues from coal production are a cornerstone of the economy of the state, which imposes no personal or corporate income tax.
Clearly Wyoming has reason to worry about the future of coal.
Federal figures project that the share of U.S. electricity that comes from coal is projected to dip below 40 percent this year, the lowest level since the government began collecting data in 1949. Four years ago, it was 50 percent, and by the end of this decade, it is likely to be near 30 percent.
Mead said China’s demand for coal, meanwhile, will apparently exceed its own domestic production capability, as well as what it can get from Australia.
Asked whether he’s concerned that feeding China’s appetite for coal will contribute to global warming, Mead said all the Chinese officials he heard from on his trip emphasized that they’re interested in clean coal technologies.
“They and we discussed that we have this great resource — coal,” Mead said. “And we have to find the best ways for the use of the coal. We don’t want to leave the coal in the ground, and that necessarily is going to involve better technology with regard to clean uses of coal.”
But Mead said China clearly is lagging behind in its current environmental controls. He says the air quality in many places was visibly worse than what he’s used to in the United States.
“The country as a whole is moving very quickly on energy and use of mineral products,” Mead said. “But they also have some challenges in Beijing and Shaanxi. They have some air quality challenges that are apparent. They need to move forward with clean coal technology themselves.”
Mead, a rancher, said the trip offered other possible markets for Wyoming products
He said officials at the American Consulate’s Office in Hong Kong told him that there are many wealthy people there who have a keen appetite for premium beef but can’t get enough of it. He said the Cowboy State could explore meeting that demand.
