[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 55 (Monday, May 2, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 21, 2005

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 6) to ensure 
     jobs for our future with secure, affordable, and reliable 
     energy:

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, those of us who come from coal-producing 
states, like Illinois, believe that DOE's fossil energy research and 
development program is very important to the future of coal 
utilization. Over the years, the coal R&D program of the Department of 
Energy has been broad-based and has led to many of the combustion and 
gasification technologies now in use. These technologies represent both 
environmental and energy-efficiency improvements over the technologies 
they have replaced. In last year's energy bill passed by the House, 
Science Chairman Boehlert and I reached agreement on a set of coal 
programs of research, development and demonstration priorities for the 
next decade. We also agreed that the authorizations for the coal 
programs set out in what are now sections 963, 965 and 967 should be at 
least 60 percent of the total authorization in section 968(a). The 
agreed-upon language from last year has been omitted from the version 
of H.R. 6 before us today. The requirement that at least 60 percent of 
fossil energy research and development funds be spent on coal remains 
in the Committee on Science's report, but not in the H.R. 6 bill 
language. There, the traditional categories of coal research funding 
are removed and replaced with a series of objectives, which are 
consistent with the roadmap for these programs developed by the 
Department in conjunction with industry. Therefore, it is my assumption 
and will be my position going forward into Conference that the intent 
of the House of Representatives towards coal research and development 
has not changed. We still favor a fossil R&D program that allocates at 
least the historical 60 percent of funds to coal R&D and that the House 
is not mandating significant structural changes in the program that we 
set out in last year's version of H.R. 6.

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