A number of West Virginia political leaders are promoting the conversion of coal into liquid fuels. They see coal-to-liquid technology -- a decades-old process - as a common-sense strategy for a nation that needs a dependable supply of transportation fuel.

Those same promoters see coal-to-liquid projects generating more mining and manufacturing jobs and reducing the nation's dependence on foreign energy sources. They have suggested the U.S. military commit to buying coal-to-liquid fuel to ensure a market and price stability for prospective manufacturers.

One moment, please: Aren't the coal-to-liquid advocates missing the obvious?

Coal is under assault on almost every conceivable front. While West Virginia's political figures promote coal as an energy savior in West Virginia, much of the nation demonizes it as an environmentally unacceptable energy source.

The House of Representatives recently passed energy legislation that all but ignores coal. Some House members apparently fear political repercussions from supporting coal. At the same time, federal courts in West Virginia continue to create uncertainty by issuing new interpretations of longstanding laws, thus discouraging investment in coal. Energy experts already have predicted that judicial and regulatory action will reduce coal production in West Virginia in coming years.

Government leaders who promote coal-to-liquid projects appear to have the cart before the horse. For West Virginia to remain an energy leader, mine operators first must be able to mine coal. They must have some sense of certainty that federal courts and federal agencies no longer will issue new interpretations of mining laws that scuttle permits and prevent production. Companies can produce coal legally as long as courts and regulators don't change the rules in the middle of the game.

We can talk about windmills, solar panels and biomass, and they undoubtedly are in our future. But those energy sources cannot meet the nation's growing energy demands now or in the foreseeable future. Nuclear energy may take on an expanded role, but not everyone will welcome it.

Our leaders must step up and tell the nation the truth: We need coal. It must remain a major source for electricity, and it certainly could and should be a source for motor fuels.

Politicians are right to promote coal-related technologies, especially clean-coal technologies. That, frankly, is critical. But politicians who understand the importance of coal as an energy resource first should make certain American companies can mine American coal, including West Virginia coal.