The fossil fuels plant that pits Trump's base against itself
For a landmark fossil-fuel program deep in Trump country, it’s not environmentalists who are the biggest threat. It may be Donald Trump himself.
The $3.8 billion project in Lake Charles, Louisiana, would take waste from oil refining and turn it into synthetic natural gas while capturing emissions. Those products would be turned into high-value chemicals like methanol and hydrogen. Carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, would be injected into the Earth to stimulate oil production.
For the promoters, the project could spur 1,000 jobs, use General Electric Co.-licensed equipment and showcase cutting-edge machinery to help decarbonize oil. The catch: The technology isn’t broadly proven, so banks won’t yet finance it. That means there are few sources of project debt. The most obvious lender would be a U.S. Energy Department program that some Republicans are intent on neutering.
The debate about whether the government should lend a hand in Lake Charles could divide Republicans as TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL pipeline did for President Barack Obama’s administration. It pits supporting companies, Republicans in Congress and Breitbart News Network LLC against the Tea Party and the Heritage Foundation, which oppose corporate handouts.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/the-fossil-fuels-plant-that-pits-trumps-base-against-itself/ar-AAougGp?li=BBnbfcN&ocid=edgsp
