The federal incentives to address the volatility are what I referred to in the c02 atlas post as a push for a floor price on oil.This would assure the viability of ctl with carbon capture as well as ethanol and other non-oil tech.
A dozen members of congress representing millions of voters are pushing this.It doesnt matter if you think energy can be provided without coal unless you can convince these people to lose their jobs.Or to convince the states to forgoe the tax revenues and economic expansion in depressed areas.Or the profits of evil mining ,railroads etc.
Ctl also appealls to oil independence advocates and parents of soldiers{like me}who want a source of energy other than oil before their sons and daughters have to die preserving access to oil.
Alternatives to the current energy infrastructure have to be constructed in a way that you can sell to all these interest groups including groups of citizens who have differing expectations of energy policies.
Some in coal states want a way to make a living.Parents want a near term answer{ctl?} that can keep their military children alive.Pols want to be reelected.
Whatever answer you may have that is opposed to this policy you also must be able to sell it politically.The pols are releasing trial balloons and are building their sales pitch.I am prone to being sold by them.I want independence because I have three children in the military.As a parent I am selfish.If insistence on a perfectly green solution delays the possible solutions offered it causes anxiety.If parents children are endangered and killed waiting for energy independence their concern about the planets future and the potential sea level increases vanish.
I introduce these emotions because they are part of the sales job necessary for any road map to be accepted by portions of the public.Politicians must sell to enough of these groups for anything to happen.as much as we despise them I must say that they do have a complex sales job.