The Columbian reported recently that leaders in Wyoming are pursuing a bond measure to facilitate the export of coal. A Feb. 19 story reported “Wyoming bill eyes N.W. coal port: Bonds would help pay for construction.” Coal is a critical component in the making of steel and made Pittsburgh an industrial powerhouse in the 19th century. Coal is, of course, mostly carbon. Wyoming leaders would better serve their citizens if they would use that bond money to research ways to inexpensively make carbon fiber, the material of the 21st century.
Carbon fiber is strong, it is light in weight, it doesn’t rust, and it is used in everything from tennis racquets to Boeing’s Dreamliner.
Exporting coal facilitates the dumping of millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Instead of chasing a dream from the 1880s, Wyoming could become a hub for advanced materials. It just takes a little vision.
Philip B. Scott
Vancouver
