Synthetic fuel: A perfect energy fix?

That’s a boon for Syntroleum, the Tulsa, Okla., company that manufactures the fuel. “The technology is ready,” says Ken Agee, founder and CEO of the 22-year-old company. With the United States holding 27 percent of the world’s coal reserves, he adds, “it’s exciting to think we could control our energy destiny.”

Only one snag: scale. Agee says it would take at least $1 billion to build a plant capable of producing 10,000 barrels per day.