Alternative energy a popular stop in U.S. campaign

By Andrea Hopkins

WELLSVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - A small green clearing on a hilltop beside the Ohio River doesn't seem like much of campaign stop, but John Baardson knows the scent of alternative energy and undecided voters will lure America's presidential contenders before long.

"McCain has already called and expressed interest, and we believe Obama will too," said the president and chief executive of Baard Energy.

Before Americans go to the polls in November to choose Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama to be the next U.S. president, Baardson plans to break ground on a $6 billion plant in Wellsville that will turn Appalachian coal into 53,000 barrels a day of diesel and jet fuel.

The plant, designed to produce fuel that costs just $60 to $70 a barrel with 46 percent fewer emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases than conventional diesel fuels, is an irresistible draw for the 2008 presidential hopefuls.

With oil at $130 a barrel and gasoline at $4 a gallon, energy and the economy has vaulted to the top of the political agenda, and McCain and Obama have both sought to portray themselves as proponents of cheaper alternatives.

That Baard's plant will be in Ohio, the politically critical state in President George W. Bush 2004 election victory that could once again help determine the outcome of this election, is just a happy coincidence.

"The politics are fascinating," Baardson said. "We want to drive home the point that if you want the voters in this area, this is something you can give them ... the price of oil is the number one issue out there and we have a clean solution."

The plant will bring at least 1,500 construction and 200 full-time jobs to impoverished eastern Ohio. In addition, some 18,000 tons of coal a day will be liquefied into fuel suitable for use in jets and trucks -- adding an estimated 750 mining jobs to the mix.