GILLETTE - President Bush spoke bluntly about reducing the nation's dependence on oil and advancing energy efforts such as "clean" coal during his State of the Union speech on Tuesday.

But for all the talk, nobody will know until budget time whether any of the "cleaner" coal research dollars will come to Wyoming.

"Everybody is in the same position, waiting to see what will be in the budget in regard to the Energy Policy Act," said Rob Hurless, energy and telecommunications adviser to Gov. Dave Freudenthal.

Hurless heads the Wyoming Clean Coal Coalition, which is part of the governor's planning office. The coalition is working closely with the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense on potential coal-to-diesel projects.

But despite being the nation's largest coal supplier with the largest mining infrastructure, the Cowboy State has yet to see federal research dollars for cleaner coal technologies trickle its way.

Some proponents of Fischer-Tropsch, Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle and other technologies that use coal in ways that reduce harmful air emissions say Wyoming is a prime location, but it's up against some fierce competition. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, for example, has made a full-court press to attract the industry with a steady flow of press releases, energy forums and cross-country visits with potential players.

Recently, Schweitzer touted a letter indicating that Sasol Ltd., a South African company proposing to build a large-scale coal-to-liquids plant, has put Montana on a short list of possible locations.

Hurless said Wyoming officials are fully engaged in the same effort to court Sasol and other cleaner coal projects.

"The difference is we're less public about it. It's just a choice of tactics," Hurless said.

Luke O'Keefe is director of energy technologies for Burns & Roe, and also affiliated with an effort by Clear Energy Solutions to build a co-generation, coal liquefaction campus in Wyoming. The company has already purchased 3,600 acres near Douglas, but lacks investment dollars to launch the project.

O'Keefe said he'd like to see Wyoming government officials push harder to attract the industry.

"You can try to advance things by doing press releases, or you can do it the quiet way. Maybe that's just strategy. But it would be good to try to get a greater awareness in Wyoming. You need to be somewhat vocal," O'Keefe said.

O'Keefe said Wyoming's major advantage is its existing coal mining infrastructure. Wyoming's Powder River Basin alone mines about 390 million tons annually - more than 30 percent of the nation's coal supply - while Montana is currently equipped to produce about 40 million tons, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Moreover, Wyoming's coal has less water content and more heating value.

"If you're going to site an industry, you're going to site it where you have the lowest feedstock cost," O'Keefe said. "Five years from now, somebody is going to have one of these projects up and running."

The federal government's effort to push clean coal technologies began with the Clinton administration and continued with the Bush administration under the $2 billion Clean Coal Power Initiative. So far, about $200 million has been appropriated for various programs at the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Defense.

Wyoming legislators recently gave support to a proposed College of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming, which would play an integral role in landing those federal research dollars.

Energy reporter Dustin Bleizeffer can be reached at (307) 682-3388 or dustin.bleizeffer@casperstartribune.net.