Wyoming Clean Coal Energy Needs to be Center of Legislation

WASHINGTON – In order to put Wyoming clean coal energy at the center of a national debate on climate change, Wyoming Senator John Barrasso will offer a series of pivotal amendments to major legislation facing the U.S. Senate Thursday.

In an attempt to improve the Warner-Lieberman "America’s Climate Security Act" during a Thursday mark-up of the legislation, Barrasso will work to amend the bill so that Wyoming is at the forefront of solutions for clean coal.

The Warner-Lieberman bill will be marked up by the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Global Warming, of which Barrasso is a member of the seven member body.

Barrasso said he’s rolling up his sleeves to improve this bill for the future of Wyoming ‘s energy. 

"We have to play a leading role. Just saying no to this bill is not enough. I will legislate and fight for Wyoming ‘s jobs and future as a state at the forefront of energy solutions."

Based on elements of a key speech given in Jackson last month to the University of Wyoming Energy and Natural Resources Institute and working with key clean coal industry leaders, Barrasso will offer 8 amendments intended to place Wyoming "front and center,” the senator said.

The first key amendment will be to make a home at the University of Wyoming for a new Rocky Mountain Center for the Study of Coal Utilization. The amendment would designate the University of Wyoming and authorize funding for the new center.

Barrasso said because the State of Wyoming and the University of Wyoming have aggressively moved forward with establishing a School of Energy Resources , it is a perfect liaison for the Federal government to use as a base for moving forward on important and state-of-the-art clean energy science and technology.  

"As the nation’s top source of energy, Wyoming is the natural center for clean coal technologies and solutions for greener energy as the markets are clearly demanding," Barrasso said.

The Wyoming senator will also seek to amend the Warner-Lieberman bill by promoting high-altitude coal gasification. Barrasso’s measure would provide funds for a demonstration project at 4,000 feet above sea level to mirror guidelines in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. 

Developing technology that works at altitude benefits the United States , as well as other nations that operate coal power generation facilities at higher altitudes, he said. 

In another prepared amendment, Barrasso will focus on providing what he calls an achievable carbon sequestration standard for new coal powered plants in Title III of the Warner-Lieberman bill. Barrasso’s measure will ensure that the carbon sequestration standard would be a gradually increasing one, to allow improvements in our ability to sequester carbon over time. Currently, the Warner-Lieberman bill requires an unachievable 85 percent standard.

"There is currently no known technology that can capture and sequester 85 percent. If we want to begin addressing the impacts, we must be realistic in what can be accomplished and build on what we can achieve today. We cannot expect to develop DOMESTIC sources of energy unless we can realistically achieve them," Barrasso added.

In an additional amendment Senator Barrasso will add a new title to the bill to establish the American Jobs and Family Budget Security Commission, which will study the economic impact to Federal and State budgets of the underlying bill. Barrasso said the bill currently does not conduct an economic study and does not consider the bill’s impacts on state economies and it is vital to have real economic data for states.

"I know what it is like to be a state leader and have the extreme frustration let alone the costs of federal actions. We need hard science and hard math in order to make real decisions."