New York Times: Fuel from CO2?

According this NYT blog Los Alamos lab has created a method from which a methanol fuel can be made from the CO2 in the air around us. The catch? A nuclear plant would need to be built to supply enough electricity to make the process happen. A debate seems to be raging in the comments section as to whether or not this process is an oringinal idea and whether or not it's feasible at all. If this is possible it'd be a huge breakthrough.