There are numerous proposals within the U.S. for developing a CTL industry. There has been some discussion of CTL at the federal level, but much of the impetus for CTL efforts has originated at the state level. Among others,
U.S. Approach
Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana has advocated a program of coal gasification, and Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania has also supported efforts for CTL.

At the level of private industry, Sasol of South Africa, of course, remains among the world leaders in CTL technology. But in North America, Sasol focuses on the production and marketing of chemicals at its advanced plants in Baltimore, Md., and Lake Charles, La., that produce olefins and surfactants, as well as solvents. Sasol has no plant in the U.S. comparable to its South African facility that produces gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel.

There are also smaller, publicly traded companies, such as Rentech, in partnership with Peabody Energy (BTU:NYSE), that are constructing CTL facilities on a modest basis. And there are numerous private equity efforts in the CTL arena. But even if this article were to be utterly exhaustive on the U.S. effort in the realm of CTL, it is clear that there is no large-scale CTL effort going on in the U.S. comparable to what is occurring in China.

For the foreseeable future, and for lack of a comprehensive policy that focuses on exploiting domestic energy resources with available technology, the U.S. will just have to keep on trading U.S. dollars for oil from our friends in places like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The U.S. is simply living in, and making policy based upon, the fading memories of its storied past. Meanwhile, the world advances and at least some nations, like China, are inventing their own futures.
After seeing what the people of the world are doing for fuel alternatives the fundamentals are in place for chemical construction plants across the world to refine and produce more alternative fuels.
This is a positive growth basis for the the recreation of the next industrial revelution sparked by the higher fuel costs due to the industrialization of the world and the billions of people that will benefit and consume far more into the future than ever in the history of the world. (Exponential)
This is why I believe in the macro demand side of price inflation.