Coal

COAL -- (House of Representatives - May 14, 2008)

(Mr. LATTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, our Nation's industrial revolution was powered by coal, and with the current state of our energy market, coal should receive the attention it deserves. It is an important energy source for our country.

Coal is the United States' most abundant and efficient fuel source, and we hold over one-quarter of the world's coal reserves. The energy content of the Nation's coal reserves exceeds that of all the world's known oil reserves. In my home State of Ohio, we have reserves that will last for 250 years.

Coal provides more than half the electricity consumed by Americans. And work is currently being done in my district to develop coal gasification, which is a process that increases the efficiency of coal within a closed system.

The current Democratic leadership in Congress refuses to invest money into the coal gasification process, while China at the same time is investing $24 billion into the same technology.

We must embrace all forms of energy to keep our economy and products competitive with the rest of the world.

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