[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 170 (Friday, November 21, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 6, ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2003

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                               speech of

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 18, 2003

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, electron scrubbing is the only air 
control process that allows older power plants to meet the Clean Air 
Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) and the New Source Performance Standards 
(NSPS) while burning the least cost, highest energy fuel--high sulfur 
coal. The electron scrubbing process removes almost all the pollutants 
emitted from power plants burning high sulfur coal. In a single step, 
the electrons convert the pollutants into a high grade, agriculture 
byproduct.
  The Department of Energy's (DOE) Chicago Operations Office (COO) has 
been briefed on the electron scrubbing project at Eagle Valley and has 
agreed to manage the program. However, DOE must first transfer $5 
million in earmarked funds to the COO so the Director can immediately 
implement the program.
  A letter of intent, dated April 16, 2002, from Greg Daeger, program 
manager for the electron scrubbing project at Eagle Valley, attests to 
the commitment and due diligence of Eagle Valley to implement the 
project pursuant to Congress' direction and intent.
  Electron scrubbing uses high-energy accelerators for air pollution 
cleanup. DOE's COO has the technical management capability in 
accelerator-related programs and air pollution programs used in other 
DOE applications. This location is an ideal venue for the effective and 
successful oversight of the electron scrubbing program. The transfer of 
funds would allow COO to continue and expand its management of high 
technology air pollution programs in the area of high-energy electrons.
  The energy bill directs DOE to ``use $5,000,000 from amounts 
appropriated to initiate, through the Chicago Operations Office, a 
project to demonstrate the viability of high-energy electron scrubbing 
technology on a commercial-scale electrical generation using high 
sulfur coal.'' Because it has both the authority and capability to 
oversee this demonstration project, $5 million must immediately be 
transferred from DOE to COO.

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