There is that slim possibility. I just believe if private equity saw the Feds unwilling to prime the pump it would be loathe to take a chance on something the DOE found unworthy of investment.
I wrote that only regarding US funding. Foreign investment is a whole other matter. If the DOE doesn't pick up the ball I could see the Australians walking away with it completely. Then licensing the technology back to the US coal industry once they prove its commercial scalability and financial model.