[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 175 (Monday, December 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2473-E2474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 H.R. 6

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                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 8, 2003

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to compliment the Chairman of 
the Conference Committee, Mr. Tauzin of Louisiana, and my colleagues on 
the Committee from both the House and the Senate for an excellent job 
under extremely difficult circumstances. I am very pleased that we have 
been able to resolve their differences and reach an agreement on this 
extremely important legislation. Our national energy security requires 
that we move rapidly to utilize all of our existing fossil energy 
resources in ways that are both more efficient and more protective of 
our public health and environment.

[[Page E2474]]

  Two sections of the conference bill clearly are aimed at these 
objectives. Section 932(d) establishes a new program of research, 
development, demonstration and commercial application for integrated 
clean power and energy research. Section 935 establishes a similar 
program for research on innovative coal-burning technologies and 
advanced combustion systems.
  I have been told that a new oxygen fuel technology shows great 
promise with respect to these critical research goals. This new 
technology, as I understand it, uses oxygen instead of air to produce 
combustion of coal and other fossil fuels in electric utility and 
industrial boilers. This prevents entry of nitrogen from the air in the 
normal combustion process, which provides both fuel efficiency and 
emission reduction benefits. The reliance on oxygen, combined with more 
efficient use of fossil fuels, also takes a step in the direction of 
renewable energy sources. I understand that the new oxygen-fuel 
technology has already been employed successfully in large industrial 
furnaces and has proved effective in small scale boiler testing 
conducted under a CRADA agreement with the Department of Energy's 
National Energy Technology Laboratory. If these results can be 
confirmed in boilers on a commercial production scale, the new 
technology offers substantial benefits for U.S. domestic and 
international energy and environmental policy.
  Regarding the research provisions of the conference legislation, 
these provisions are intended to fund additional research for emerging, 
innovative fossil fuel technologies, such as the new oxygen-fuel 
technology. These provisions, with respect to technologies such as the 
oxygen fuel technology, will fund projects involving both new and 
existing (retrofitted) boilers on a commercial scale, where 
appropriate.
  It is important to continue research in clean coal technologies. The 
continued use of coal, in an environmentally friendly way, will lead to 
a balanced energy policy for our Nation.

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