HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 8

(By Delegates Phillips, Maynard, Miller, R., Eldridge, Marcum and Miller, C.)

[Introduced January 16, 2018; Referred
to the Committee on Rules]

Requesting West Virginia’s congressional delegation to ask the United States Department of Energy and the United States Department of Commerce to make available funding for a feasibility study to analyze a coal-to-chemicals project for West Virginia and the Appalachian region.

Whereas, West Virginia and the Appalachian region contain abundant coal resources; and

Whereas, Technologies and applications exist whereby these coal resources do not have to be burned as fossil fuels because there exist other purposes for using large amounts of coal; and

Whereas, The South African company "Sasol" has already been successfully manufacturing and exporting valuable chemicals for multiple decades, and Sasol's proprietary technology can be applied to West Virginia and Appalachian coal reserves; and

Whereas, The minimum amount of coal needed to support a coal-to-chemicals facility and manufacturing complex is one billion tons; and

Whereas, Preliminary studies already executed indicate West Virginia and Appalachian coal is of a superior quality than the South African coal used by Sasol to make chemicals, and this process should thereby prove to be even more economical undertaken in the US than in South Africa; and

Whereas, Dialogue with Sasol’s CEO and senior technology executives has already indicated their interest to participate in a robust and professional feasibility study involving input from Sasol and appropriate US based consultants and experts; therefore be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That West Virginia’s congressional delegation to ask the United States Department of Energy and the United States Department of Commerce to make available funding for a feasibility study to analyze a coal-to-chemicals project for West Virginia and the Appalachian region; and be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a copy of this resolution to each member of West Virginia’s congressional delegation.