A company that wants to test underground coal gasification in Wyoming is facing charges in Australia for allegedly polluting air and groundwater and exposing workers to dangerous gases.
Underground coal gasification involves heating deep coal seams to produce syngas, which can be converted to fuels and fertilizer. Australia’s public broadcaster broke the news last year that Linc Energy was facing charges in that country for causing “environmental harm” at its test site in Chinchilla, but until now, it wasn't clear exactly what that meant.
ABC’s latest reporting provides more details. According to the broadcaster, the government’s warrant alleges numerous violations, including fires and benzene contamination.
The Queensland government alleges Linc did not report the violations, and in fact, tried to cover them up, but was exposed by former employees.
Linc's CEO denies the charges and told ABC that the investigation is “witch hunt.” Linc’s Wyoming project manager did not return a request for comment by our deadline.
Last year, Linc received final approval from Wyoming’s Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency to move forward with a test project in the state. The company has not offered a timeline for if and when they plan to do that.