MALMSTROM AIR
FORCE BASE
COAL-TO-LIQUID
FUEL PLANT OPPORTUNITY
COMMUNITY
UPDATE #1
January 4,
2008
Dear Great
Falls Community,
This is the
first monthly Community Update for the Malmstrom Air Force
Base
Coal-to-Liquid (CTL) Fuel Plant opportunity. My staff and I look
forward to
keeping you informed of developments regarding this exciting
and landmark
initiative, which could yield numerous benefits for our
military.
The men and
women of your United States Air Force are engaged in
operations
worldwide taking the fight to the enemy on the front lines of
the Global War
on Terror, defending the homeland, providing strategic
deterrence,
and giving our nation unparalleled global vigilance, reach
and power.
The Air Force
is also doing its part to address another national
security
concern: energy dependence.
Global energy
demand is growing and fueled by the stunning economic
expansion of
China and India. Meanwhile, global petroleum reserves
continue to
dwindle and large portions of those reserves are controlled
by regimes not
necessarily friendly to the United States. This results
not only in
financial challenges for our nation, which must face rising
petroleum
costs, but also harms national security by empowering hostile
states due to
rising prices.
President Bush
has challenged our nation to wean itself off its
addiction to
foreign oil, and your Air Force is leading the way to meet
that
challenge. We started by creating an energy vision: To Make Energy
a
Consideration in Everything We Do. From that vision, we have adopted
a three-part
energy strategy of increasing supply, reducing demand and
changing the
Air Force culture on how we think about energy.
We have moved
aggressively over the last two years to advance the
exploitation
of alternative energy sources and accelerate conservation
efforts.
Probably the most well known of our efforts has been our
program to
test, certify and fly the Air Force fleet on synthetic jet
fuel.
We've only
begun to scratch the surface, and that's where you come in.
The Air Force
is exploring the possibility of leasing underutilized
property at
Malmstrom Air Force Base to a private developer for the
construction
of a coal-to-liquid plant which will produce the same
synthetic fuel
we intend to use for our aircraft fleet. If successful,
this
opportunity will bring new jobs and capital to the city of Great
Falls.
This plant will meet state and federal safety standards and will
be designed to
minimize environment impact by using state-of-the-art
clean coal
technology. Finally, it would not adversely impact
Malmstrom's
current missions or the quality of life of the
installation's
Airmen.
We are
engaging in this initiative because we see tremendous potential
not only for
the Air Force but for our nation. Malmstrom sits close to
some of the
richest and most abundant coal resources in the world and is
close to a
major river and crucial rail transportation system. This
opportunity
could be the catalyst for further commercial coal-to-liquid
projects
across the country, bringing the United States closer to energy
independence.
But we can not
do this on our own. We want to bring our proposal to the
community of
Great Falls and earn your support for this initiative. We
want you to
tell us your thoughts and concerns. The Air Force is
committed to
working with your elected officials and community
stakeholders
to address any issues or concerns you may raise. Toward
this end, we
will hold a town-hall meeting January 30, 2008, to present
our vision and
give you the opportunity to make your voice heard. An
industry forum
for potential business partners will be held on January
31, 2008.
You will also find attached to this message a fact sheet
which
describes the coal-to-liquid opportunity.
I want to
thank you in advance for participating in this effort that
will start to
develop in the coming months. Together, we hope we can
achieve a new
source of clean, domestically produced fuel.
Sincerely,
WILLIAM C.
ANDERSON
Assistant
Secretary of the Air Force
Installations,
Environment and Logistics