Senator Lisa Murkowski Urges Alaskans to Submit Proposals Addressing Coal Production and Use
SENATOR LISA MURKOWSKI URGES ALASKANS TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS ADDRESSING COAL PRODUCTION AND USE
Senate Energy Committee Coal Conference to be Held March 10
In preparation for a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee conference on coal, Sen. Lisa Murkowski urges Alaskans who have ideas to address the challenge of developing and using coal in an environmentally-friendly manner, to submit those ideas to her office or to the Senate Energy Committee by February 16.
Murkowski said that Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., called on industry, government, public interest groups and private citizens to submit written proposals to address any or all of the challenges surrounding coal production and use. The proposals will be reviewed by committee staff and the most promising ideas will be discussed at a half-day conference scheduled for March 10. The conference will be similar to the committee's natural gas conference held last month.
"Coal is the backbone of our electricity portfolio, it provides more than half of all electricity in the country and we need to find new ways to use America's abundant coal resources in an environmentally responsible way," said Murkowski. "The nation must work to reduce the environmental effects of burning coal for electricity generation and tackle the challenging issues surrounding coal such as the environmental impact of mining, the cost of clean coal combustion technologies, the rising transportation costs and concerns over emissions."
Murkowski noted that the Senate Energy Committee is currently working to craft a comprehensive energy bill. "If Alaskans have specific coal ideas, I strongly encourage them to submit proposals so that they can be considered by the energy committee for either use in the conference or a comprehensive energy bill," said Murkowski.
Directions for Submittals:
The deadline for submissions is February 16 by 5 p.m EST, 1 p.m. AKST. Submissions must be submitted electronically to Coal_Conference@energy.senate.gov. All submitted proposals must adhere to the rules listed below; submittals that do not adhere will be returned to senders. Those whose submissions are selected for discussion at the conference will be notified by Feb. 22.
The four topics below delineate the expected areas of discussion. A general question under each topic heading is provided only to help frame responses. Proposals may be for near or long-term solutions and may be directed at federal, state or private actions. Address any one or more of the listed topics. Do not renumber or rearrange the order of the topics. If you wish to address an issue that is not listed, please add that topic to the end of the designated list as a separate Word document.
The Four Topics for Discussion:
1)Coal Consumption: What are the likely future scenarios for the role of coal-fired generation in the U.S.?
2)Environmental: What are the environmental and regulatory challenges associated with the future use of coal for power generation?
3)Financial and Technological Improvements: What technological improvements in coal use are most important to pursue? What financial and/or regulatory mechanisms are necessary to bring these technological improvements to market?
4)Transportation: What improvements in existing transportation or transmission infrastructure are needed to improve the use of coal for power generation?
Conference Submittal Rules:
Limit your response to no more than 5 single-spaced pages per question topic. Submit your response to each question topic as a separate Word document. (Separating your responses into single Word documents will make review and web posting of selected proposals much less difficult.) Include your name and association at the top of each page of your responses. Use 12-point Times New Roman font. Additional charts, graphics, or specific legislative language are also welcome and may be attached as a separate appendix (beyond the 5-page limit) to the responses. Please provide a one-page executive summary of your entire submission as a separate Word Document with the following contact information at the top of the page: Submitter's Name/Association:_______________________ Contact:_________________________________________ Email:___________________________________________ Phone:__________________________________________
http://murkowski.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=231855