[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5840-S5841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CASEY:
  SA 1134. A bill to ensure the energy independence and economic 
viability of the Untied States by promoting the responsible use of coal 
through accelerated carbon capture and storage and through advanced 
clean coal technology research, development, demonstration, and 
deployment programs, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources.
  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Responsible 
Use of Coal Act of 2009. This bill provides the Department of Energy 
with the funding needed to continue to accelerate both the research and 
development and the demonstration, and ultimately, the deployment of 
carbon capture and storage, CCS, technology. Further, this bill would 
position the U.S. as the world leader in CCS technology development and 
export, creating the potential for thousands of new clean energy jobs.
  Climate change is one of the most complex and challenging imperatives 
that our Nation, and, the world, has ever faced. We need to move 
forward in crafting a national program that will reduce our greenhouse 
gas emissions, encourage the use of renewable power, and create clean 
energy jobs. As we move forward, we must do so in a manner that will 
ensure our energy security, protect our industries from ``carbon 
leakage,'' help get our economy back on track, and enable us to 
continue to benefit from our most abundant, affordable energy 
resource--coal.
  Today coal provides over half of the Nation's electricity. While coal 
use for energy generation has more than tripled since 1970, emissions 
of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter from power 
plants have been dramatically reduced as the power industry deploys 
technologies for capturing these pollutants. Now, responding to health 
concerns about mercury, power plants are implementing technology to 
capture this toxic element. This illustrates how the development and 
deployment of advanced technology has allowed coal to continue to play 
such an important role in our energy strategy in the face of strict 
environmental requirements.
  Coal helps keep American homes, businesses, factories, airports, 
schools and hospitals humming. Coal creates millions of good-paying 
jobs across all sectors of the economy--from direct and indirect mining 
and electric utility jobs to all those businesses and industries, large 
and small, which depend on affordable electricity to compete in the 
global marketplace. Coal-based electricity keeps people warm on 
freezing nights and comfortable during the hottest of summer days. Coal 
provides the reliable, secure electricity needed for the myriad of 
medical procedures to detect and treat cancer, heart disease and other 
health threats, saving innumerous lives every year. Electricity from 
coal is there when you need it.
  Much of the world depends on coal, and developing economies like 
China and India are increasingly relying on coal to power them into the 
21st Century. Coal supplies more than 40 percent of worldwide 
electricity demand. For China, the amount of electricity from coal is 
astonishing. Eighty percent of China's electricity comes from coal. 
Prior to the current global recession, China built one to two new coal 
plants every week.
  But the continued use of coal in the U.S. and abroad has a 
significant challenge ahead of it--climate change. While we have made 
progress in the U.S. in dealing with climate change, we are still at 
the beginning of the process of piecing together a domestic program 
that will work for all of the different regions of this country and 
that will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions so that we meet our 
global commitment.
  One of the key pieces that must be included in our domestic program 
to help meet the challenge of climate change is carbon capture and 
storage. I am sponsoring the Responsible Use of Coal Act of 2009 to 
supplement funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by 
further accelerating the Department of Energy's CCS research, 
development, demonstration, and deployment programs. Specifically the 
bill will promote the rapid commercial demonstration and early 
deployment of carbon capture and storage systems that will allow the 
Nation to continue to use its abundant, secure, and low-cost coal 
resources while moving forward with a national program to reduce the 
impact of man-made emissions on our environment.
  The bill will promote the continued research and development of 
advanced CCS and other coal power generation technologies in order to 
drive down costs, increase performance, and foster innovation. It is 
crucial that, in parallel to the commercial demonstration of current 
CCS technology, we continue to develop and advance new CCS ideas and 
concepts through a robust research and development program in order to 
continue to lower the cost of complying with CO2 
regulations.
  The bill will promote the export of U.S. CCS technologies to those 
countries, such as China and India, which also rely on coal as their 
dominant energy source--ensuring that the U.S. is the leader in 
developing and exporting clean coal technologies and taking advantage 
of the thousands of new clean energy jobs such an industry would 
create.
  I am fully committed to work with my colleagues in the Senate in 
addressing climate change. At the same time, I believe that the Nation 
needs to recognize the critical role coal plays in driving our economic 
engine and to aggressively move forward in the research, development, 
demonstration, and deployment of CCS technology.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in ensuring that the United 
States continues to enjoy the economic and energy security advantages 
that our domestic coal resources afford us while we move forward in 
crafting legislation

[[Page S5841]]

that will reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1134

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible Use of Coal Act 
     of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Carbon capture and storage technology.--The term 
     ``carbon capture and storage technology'' means an advanced 
     technology or concept that the Secretary determines to have 
     the potential--
       (A) to capture or remove--
       (i) carbon dioxide that is emitted from a coal-fired power 
     plant; and
       (ii) other industrial sources;
       (B) to store carbon dioxide in geological formations; and
       (C) to use carbon dioxide for--
       (i) enhanced oil and natural gas recovery; or
       (ii) other large-volume, beneficial uses.
       (2) Carbon capture technology.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``carbon capture technology'' 
     means any precombustion technology, post-combustion 
     technology, or oxy-combustion technology or process.
       (B) Inclusion.--The term ``carbon capture technology'' 
     includes carbon dioxide compression technology.
       (3) Enhanced oil and natural gas recovery.--The term 
     ``enhanced oil and natural gas recovery'' means the use of 
     carbon dioxide to improve or enhance the recovery of oil or 
     natural gas from a depleted oil or natural gas field.
       (4) Precombustion technology.--The term ``precombustion 
     technology'' means a coal or coal-biomass gasification or 
     integrated gasification combined-cycle process coupled with 
     carbon dioxide storage or reuse.
       (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Energy.

     SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

       The purposes of this Act are--
       (1) to promote the continued responsible use of the 
     abundant, secure, and low-cost coal resources of the United 
     States through the research, development, demonstration, and 
     deployment of--
       (A) carbon capture and storage technologies; and
       (B) advanced coal power generation technologies;
       (2) to promote the exportation of the carbon capture and 
     storage technologies and advanced coal power generation 
     technologies developed by the United States to countries that 
     rely on coal as the dominant energy source of the countries 
     (including China and India); and
       (3) to support the deployment of carbon capture and storage 
     technologies by--
       (A) quantifying the risks of the technologies; and
       (B) helping to establish the most appropriate framework for 
     managing liabilities associated with all phases of carbon 
     capture and storage technology projects, including--
       (i) the capture and transportation of carbon dioxide; and
       (ii) the siting, design, operation, closure, and long-term 
     stewardship of carbon dioxide storage facilities.

     SEC. 4. PROGRAMS.

       (a) Research and Development Program.--
       (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, in accordance with paragraph (2) and 
     subsection (b), the Secretary, acting through the Director of 
     the National Energy Technology Laboratory, shall carry out a 
     research, development, and demonstration program through the 
     National Energy Technology Laboratory to further advance 
     carbon capture and storage and coal power generation 
     technologies.
       (2) Required programs.--The program described in paragraph 
     (1) shall include each program described in paragraphs (3) 
     through (6).
       (3) Commercial demonstration program.--As soon as 
     practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Energy 
     Technology Laboratory, shall carry out a large-scale 
     commercial demonstration program to evaluate the most 
     promising carbon capture and storage technologies.
       (4) Research and development program regarding carbon 
     capture technologies.--As soon as practicable after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall carry out a 
     research and development program under which the Secretary 
     shall evaluate carbon capture technologies to decrease the 
     cost, and increase the performance, of carbon capture 
     technologies.
       (5) Research and development program regarding carbon 
     dioxide storage.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall carry out a 
     research and development program under which the Secretary 
     shall evaluate options for carbon dioxide storage in 
     geological formations--
       (A) for enhanced oil and natural gas recovery; and
       (B) to decrease the cost, and increase the performance, of 
     carbon capture and storage technologies in existence as of 
     the date of enactment of this Act.
       (6) Research and development program regarding advanced 
     clean coal power generation technologies.--As soon as 
     practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary shall carry out a research and development program 
     under which the Secretary shall evaluate advanced clean coal 
     power generation technologies to make practicable--
       (A) the capture and storage of carbon dioxide; and
       (B) highly efficient power generation (including advanced 
     turbines, fuel cells, hydrogen production, and advanced 
     gasification).
       (b) Cost-Sharing Requirements.--
       (1) Commercial demonstration program.--The Federal share of 
     the cost of any competitively procured project carried out 
     using funds provided under the commercial demonstration 
     program described in subsection (a)(3) shall be not more than 
     50 percent.
       (2) Other programs.--The Federal share of the cost of any 
     competitively procured project carried out using funds 
     provided under a program described in paragraph (4), (5), or 
     (6) of subsection (a) shall be not more than 80 percent.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary--
       (1) to carry out the commercial demonstration program under 
     section 4(a)(3)--
       (A) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
       (B) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       (C) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       (D) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2013;
       (2) to carry out the research and development program under 
     section 4(a)(4)--
       (A) $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
       (B) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       (C) $120,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       (D) $120,000,000 for fiscal year 2013;
       (3) to carry out the research and development program under 
     section 4(a)(5)--
       (A) $170,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
       (B) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       (C) $225,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       (D) $225,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; and
       (4) to carry out the research and development program under 
     section 4(a)(6)--
       (A) $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
       (B) $270,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       (C) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       (D) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.
                                 ______