Information on the 1949-54 Bureau of Mines Coal Liquefaction Pilot Plants

GAO reviewed Department of Energy correspondence, Bureau of Mines reports, and the Congressional Record and contacted industry officials to respond to a request for information about the Bureau of Mines coal liquefaction pilot plant in Louisiana, Missouri, which operated from 1949 to 1954. The project was abandoned in 1954 because the direct liquefaction process was considered to be uneconomical and noncompetitive with crude-oil based products. Since 1954, industry and the Government have been doing research to develop improved liquefaction processes in terms of trouble-free operation, safety, environmental acceptability, and cost competitiveness. The Department of Energy currently supports the advanced development of four direct coal liquefaction processes. The Energy Security Act establishes a Synthetic Fuels Corporation to provide financial incentives for the development of domestic substitutes for imported oil and sets national goals for synthetic fuel production.