Avweb,this week,reports that the US Air Force is investigating the manufacture of "synthetic" fuel using coal or natural gas.Fortunately they won't have to look far for answers,a South African company,SASOL, is already on the case and has recently sold two coal to liquid conversion plants to the Chinese Government. Known reserves of black coal in Australia would provide a supply of liquid fuel in this country for the next 50 years at current diesel/petrol consumption rates.That could probably doubled if brown coal and natural gas were included in the equation.Unfortunately our Government is determined to save us by mandating the use of ethanol.Meanwhile natural gas and coal is exported to Japan and China at give-away prices.