[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 143 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     MARINE AND HYDROKINETIC RENEWABLE ENERGY PROMOTION ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JAY INSLEE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 23, 2011

  Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, this week, I reintroduced the Marine and 
Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Promotion Act (H.R. 2994), a bipartisan 
bill that will improve the research and development program for marine 
renewable energy. Marine energy is an emerging technology that presents 
great opportunities. Developing the ability to harness energy from our 
ocean and tidal currents to power our homes and businesses will create 
U.S. jobs by building a new manufacturing industry and will improve our 
energy security. I would like to recognize the leadership of Senator 
Lisa Murkowski who has introduced a Senate companion, which she has 
successfully moved through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources 
Committee. Further, I appreciate the support of my House colleagues 
Representatives Don Young and Theodore Deutch in working with me on 
this bill.
  In the Puget Sound area of Washington, research and demonstration on 
tidal energy are underway, requiring collaboration from the private 
sector, universities, research institutions and public utilities. 
However, national leadership is needed to truly realize the benefits of 
commercial-scale marine hydrokinetic projects in the United States. The 
U.S. Department of Energy established the Northwest National Marine 
Renewable Energy Center, run by the University of Washington and Oregon 
State University, to develop tidal and wave research projects. They are 
working with the private sector to demonstrate new technologies. 
Additionally, the Department of Energy's Marine Sciences Laboratory on 
the Olympic Peninsula assesses waterpower resource potential to address 
and remove environmental roadblocks to deployment, testing to 
accelerate the integration of large-scale waterpower electricity 
generation into the Northwest power grid, and is essential to 
establishing a robust basis for industrial investment based on 
verifiable technology performance, assured cost basis, and 
environmental performance.
  The Marine Renewable Energy Promotion Act will accelerate these 
efforts by establishing a competitive research, development and 
demonstration program at the Department of Energy that is specifically 
devoted to marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy. This office will 
help to develop new marine renewable energy technologies, increase 
reliability and durability of facilities, reduce manufacturing and 
operating costs of the devices, help identify and address environmental 
impacts of marine renewable energy and make sure that such power can be 
integrated into the national electricity grid. Additionally, the bill 
will ensure that the Department of Energy works with research 
institutions to set up marine and hydrokinetic energy test facilities 
in the United States, supporting efforts underway nationwide and at the 
University of Washington, which are critical in our efforts to 
demonstrate a wide range of technologies, and evaluate the technical 
viability of each new and emerging type of technology at different 
scales.
  The Electric Power Research Institute has estimated that ocean 
resources in the United States could generate 252 million megawatt 
hours of electricity, which given as much support as other types of 
renewable energy, could be equivalent to 6.5 percent of America's 
entire electricity generation. With such great potential to spur 
American innovation and job creation, I urge my colleagues to support 
this important bill.

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