According to Silverado press releases, the facility is designed to take advantage of the state?s enormous supply of low-rank coal reserves by converting them into green fuel ? a new form of coal-based, environmentally friendly, low-cost alternative fuel. The facility, when finished, will create local jobs, place a large capital investment in the local economy, and showcase Mississippi as a leader in energy alternatives and clean coal technologies.
?What we need in America to have energy security is more energy,? Governor Barbour said. ?What Garry [Anselmo] and his company are going to do is take some of our coal reserves ? which are the biggest in the world ? and through a hydrothermal process convert it to synthetic gas, which is absolutely clean-burning. It is a phenomenon of technology that this company, Silverado, has pursued aggressively, and it is a great part of trying to show America how to become energy independent.?