J. Davitt McAteer believes a new coal-to-liquids plant to be constructed in Marshall County is a positive development for West Virginia - but he cautions that the environment and the safety of miners should be primary concerns.

Serving as the vice president of Wheeling Jesuit University's sponsored programs, McAteer is acknowledged worldwide as a leading authority in mine safety. He has authored pioneering work on the subject and has served as a consultant to unions, governments and industries from South Africa to China to Eastern Europe.

During a news conference Monday at Grand Vue Park in Moundsville, local, state and national officials announced plans to construct the first modern coal-to-liquids plant in the nation at an industrial site in Benwood.

A joint venture between Consol Energy Inc. and Synthesis Energy Systems Inc., the $800 million plant is expected to use coal and waste coal from Consol's Shoemaker Mine in Marshall County to create methanol and gasoline.

"It's a very positive announcement in terms of using West Virginia coal and jobs in West Virginia," McAteer said. "But a concern is - and it's a good time to address it - that these kinds of plants take a great deal of planning to operate, and we want to do that with safety in mind and environmental concerns in mind as well."

McAteer said issues surrounding irresponsible production - production that fails to take the environment into account - is a legitimate concern.

J. Brett Harvey, president and chief executive officer of Consol Energy Inc., spoke about being environmentally responsible at Monday's event.

"President Harvey suggested being conscious with carbon and coal sequestration," McAteer said.

"That is sound and looks pretty good. But in practice, we have to recognize the concerns here are if you increase coal production, you have more miners facing increases in safety issues. More people in the work force is positive, but that means more people underground. So you have to face that consciously and make these decisions consciously."

With the possibility of more carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, McAteer said the coal industry has to come to grips with the increase in carbon output that will result from a large facility such as the one to be built in Benwood.

"It's terribly important they address this problem," McAteer said. "We can't put our heads in the sand and suggest it's OK. The impact has a great potential in harm to us and to the environment, and this is the time to address those questions.

"I think the point that Harvey from Consol made is that they are looking at it. I'm sure that's the issue Gov. Joe Manchin and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) want to address because it's in their own self-interest. We have to address them, and we have to be up front."

John Benedict, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Air Quality director, said in a telephone interview Monday the anticipated permitting process for the plant would probably take at least a year.

''We believe this plant will be large enough that it would require permitting by the DEP - at least air and water permits,'' Benedict said.

DEP officials have had some preliminary meetings with company officials, but a more formal meeting is scheduled for August, Benedict said. Part of the application process will include emissions estimates from the company, including carbon dioxide emissions.

''In the general process, we prefer to have pre-application meetings and tell them what they need to submit. It's a detailed application. Once filed, we assign engineers to review it and determine if all equipment and emissions will be in compliance with emissions rules and regulations - federal and state,'' Benedict said.

As part of their research, DEP engineers already have visited other plants in the nation, such as the Eastman Chemical Co. plant in Tennessee and the Great Plains Synfuels plant in North Dakota.

''They're not coal-to-liquid, but they're similar,'' Benedict said of the plants studied by engineers.

He noted coal-to-liquids and other similar plants actually have less emissions than coal-fired electric power plants.

Before a permit is granted, a notice must advertised to inform people of a public comment period on the permit review process, Benedict said.