Impact on Federal Coal R&D Budget

• CURC encouraged Congress to redirect $95 million scheduled to be rescinded from the Clean Coal Technology Program in FY 2001 into a new Power Plant Improvement Initiative.  This new advanced coal technology demonstration program was positively received by the Bush Administration, which renamed it the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI Program).  Since 2002, the CCPI program has been authorized by Congress, received $650 million in Federal appropriations, and over $1.5 Billion of projects have been awarded under the program.
• CURC worked with DOE in 2002 to establish an R&D program for high temperature materials development that is geared toward developing materials for high temperature boilers and steam turbines.  Integration of these high temperature components into a coal power plant will increase plant efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
• On an annually basis, CURC works with DOE, the White House Office of Management and Budget, and Congress to insure sufficient funding is appropriated for the ongoing development work in the DOE coal research, development and demonstration programs, including FutureGen.

National Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005)

CURC was a chief architect of the nearly $7.0 billion in federal government incentives and clean coal technology program authorizations included in the recently enacted National Energy Policy Act of 2005.  Those programs are:

• $1.2 billion in tax incentives included in the National Energy Policy Act of 2005, designed to deploy commercially ready clean coal technologies; the tax incentives were originally proposed and drafted by CURC and then included in legislation that was incorporated into the energy bill;
• $1.0 billion plus in new program authorizations in the energy bill have been provided for the Department of Energy's coal technology R&D programs and were designed, in part, to undertake R&D on clean coal technologies identified in the CURC-EPRI Roadmap, a collaborative effort of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and CURC to provide a technology roadmap for future coal based R&D;
• $1.8 billion in authorizations for the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI) that the President called for to demonstrate new clean coal technologies - this program was first promoted by CURC and initially funded through a predecessor program known as the Clean Coal Technology Demonstration program; and
• $3.0 billion in authorizations for loans and loan guarantees included in the energy bill to establish a Clean Air Coal program; this program was, in part, the product of CURC collaboration with members of Congress and their staffs to provide a program to accelerate the commercial development of clean coal technologies.

Implementation of EPAct 2005

CURC has been directly involved in implementation of the various clean coal technology programs that were authorized in the Energy Policy Act of 2005:

• CURC provided detailed technical comments to, and consulted with, the IRS to insure a set of guidelines were drafted that appropriately shaped industry needs in applying for, and obtaining, the $1.3 billion in tax incentives that were included in the National Energy Policy Act of 2005.  Of these tax incentives, approximately $650 million were awarded in November of 2006, and $650 million are remaining for the next round to be awarded in 2007;
• CURC drafted and submitted Federal Register comments on how, and if, the DOE program plan for implementation of the new DOE coal R&D program authorizations of EPAct 2005 is consistent with the technology development identified in the CURC-EPRI Roadmap
• CURC works with Congress annually in the appropriations process increase funding for the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI) so a third solicitation for this important demonstration program can be conducted in the next calendar year; and
• CURC continues to work in coordination with the Nuclear Energy Institute in a cooperative advocacy effort to insure the DOE loan guarantee program included in EPAct 2005 is established in a manner that adequately addresses federal guarantee coverage for new coal and nuclear power projects. CURC submitted comments in response to the DOE Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the DOE Loan Guarantee program and continues to meet with DOE and Congressional staff in the development of this important industry program.