Camille Erickson, Jan 30, 2020, Casper Star Tribune

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney sponsored legislation Wednesday to advance research into alternative uses for coal, adding fuel to the state’s all-out campaign to buoy the ailing coal industry central to its economy.

The Creating Opportunities and Leveraging Technologies for Coal Carbon, or COAL TeCC, Act would establish a program through the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate commercial coal product development — like carbon fiber, graphite and carbon foam — to expand the mineral’s use beyond the electricity market.

“New technologies have opened up unlimited applications for coal as a carbon-based product used in automobile frames, airplanes, electronic devices and plastics,” Cheney said in a statement. “The unique composition of coal has the potential to create stronger, lighter and less expensive carbon-based materials, providing coal communities in Wyoming with an important source of jobs and revenue.”

Wyoming leads the nation in coal production, supplying about 40 percent of coal used to power the country. But drooping demand for thermal coal has some state lawmakers and industry insiders eager to find additional applications and markets for the state’s resource.

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso introduced a companion bill for COAL TeCC Act in the Senate last month.

“Wyoming has dominated domestic coal production for decades,” Barrasso said in a statement. “We’re always looking for new ways to use this vital resource. Coal is more than just a power source. Carbon from coal can be used in products as diverse as water filters, automobile bodies, bikes and building products. This bill will encourage investment and create new jobs in Wyoming and across the country.”

The bill would amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 by creating a new program dedicated to the study and development of coal-derived carbon products for commercial, industrial and medical purposes, according to the draft bill.

If the legislation passes, lawmakers would allocate $5 million a year to the carbon technologies program for the next four fiscal years, beginning in 2020. Using its findings collected through research, the Secretary of Energy, in collaboration with other departments, would then launch a two-year pilot program in “two major coal-production regions.” Congress would dedicate an additional $4 million a year for five fiscal years for the testing part of the initiative.

Coal scientists and engineers have long sought ways to transform coal into carbon products in Wyoming.