FACTOR IN CHINA’S SURGING COAL-FUELED ECONOMY, GOVERNOR SAYS

CHEYENNE, Wyo. ­– After a 10-day visit to China, Gov. Dave Freudenthal said he was left with a profound appreciation for the nation’s thirst for energy, its reliance on coal and its surging construction sector.

“The scale of it is just staggering,” the Governor said. “There are often discussions in Wyoming about how global demand is driving up the prices of concrete and steel, and when you’re there you can see why. It appeared that construction workers were on the job almost 24 hours a day.”

China’s economy is growing at a remarkable rate and is primarily energized by coal, which provides more than 80 percent of the nation’s energy.

“The Chinese have long used coal to fuel their economy and it doesn’t appear that will change any time soon. Therefore, any strategy to address global climate change must address coal,” Freudenthal said. “Without an oil and gas sector, fuel switching (at power plants) is not an option for them.”

During the visit, the Governor, First Lady Nancy Freudenthal and Energy Advisor Rob Hurless visited a coal gasification plant, a coal coking and gasification plant and a coal mine. They also toured the General Electric China Technology Center in Shanghai where more than 100 engineers study coal and other energy sources. The facility is expected to share research with a planned GE research center to be built in Wyoming that will focus on gasifying coal and developing other clean coal technologies.

Freudenthal said he was encouraged by the growing concern about protecting the environment in China, but said the nation has work to do to clean up emissions and improve water and air quality.

“I came back convinced that all the work that the United States has done since the 1960s to clean up the water and the air was clearly the right thing to do,” the Governor said.

Another impression that the Governor remarked upon on his return is the importance of building relationships with Chinese government officials and business leaders.

“Here, our business relationships are transactional, whereas in China, they seem to be more relational,” he said. During the visit Freudenthal attended long meetings with local and state officials that often turned to the importance of tourism and establishing connections between the United States and China.

“I was amazed that so many Chinese people knew about YellowstoneNational Park and were fascinated by Western culture,” the Governor said.

The Freudenthals were hosted by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs during their visit. The group organized the tour and facilitated the Governor and First Lady’s travel through China.

“Their help really made it possible to move around and do things that we never would have been able to set up ourselves,” the Governor said. “It was clear to me that our ability to work with China will depend on our ability to find ways to open doors and talk with the right people.”


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