The political shift in Congress in 2007 to a new Democratic leadership will bring with it unprecedented attention to the issue of global warming. CURC does not take a position in the debate over the need to control greenhouse gases (GHGs) or the mechanisms that might be used for such control. The organization does, however, adhere to the view that aggressively developing clean coal technologies that ensure coal will be converted into useful energy as efficiently and cost effectively as possible, with the least impact upon the environment and at a reasonable cost to the consumer, is appropriate.

CURC is positioning itself for the discussion on global climate change by developing a strategy that will insure technology, and technology innovation, are identified as a crucial element in any greenhouse gas policy. Our members believe it is prudent to support the development of technologies that achieve high efficiency in converting coal to useful energy as well as technologies that cost-effectively prevent, capture, and store carbon dioxide emissions. Throughout the debate on climate change, CURC will provide policymakers with important information on the development and deployment of coal technologies and how any future decision-making about the regulation of greenhouse gases will affect how coal and advanced coal technologies are utilized.

The breadth and depth of our members’ experience and knowledge make the CURC a respected voice on coal-related issues with policymakers in Washington D.C. We use our combined technical knowledge and political contacts to make the right choices for keeping coal competitive in this rapidly changing energy environment. Impact on public policy is a large draw to our organization, but there are several ways in which your organization can benefit by becoming a member of CURC, and we hope you will consider joining the membership to take advantage of these opportunities.

Impact on Public Policy

The CURC was the chief architect of over $7.0 billion in federal government incentives and clean coal technology program authorizations included in the National Energy Policy Act of 2005. Through that effort, CURC obtained (1) authorizations for a focused coal R&D program geared towards the CURC-EPRI Roadmap technologies; (2) an authorization for $200 million per year for 9 years for clean coal demonstrations, the President’s Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI); and (3) several billion dollars in tax credits and loan guarantee authorities for the deployment of the first several commercial scale coal gasification and advanced combustion projects. While the tax incentive and DOE loan guarantee programs have been launched with substantial industry interest, the President’s FY 2008 budget request for the coal R&D and demonstration (CCPI) programs does not reflect the levels authorized in the EPAct legislation, which are necessary for successfully achieving the goals of the Roadmap.

Every year, the CURC evaluates the federal budget and policy priorities set forth by the White House and the Congress to determine whether current priorities will result in the continued contributions of coal. As part of this process, members of CURC meet with the project managers of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to discuss how the DOE programs align with the Roadmap. In FY 2001, the CURC initiated the redirection of $95.0 million in funds to the Power Plant Improvement Initiative (PPII), a new program within the fossil energy research and development budget. This program led to a new 10-year and $2.0 billion program announced by President Bush, the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI). As a result of our efforts, the NETL has conducted two solicitations, selected twelve advanced clean coal projects to receive funding under this federal/private partnership, and is in the process of developing a third solicitation for project proposals in 2007. Over $3 billion worth of projects have been awarded federal cost sharing under the CCPI program, with industry contributing approximately $2.5 billion.

Over the past several years, CURC has been involved in the development and implementation of President Bush's $2.0 billion, 10-year Clean Coal Power Initiative, as well as the FutureGen Initiative. The CURC has worked with Congress and the Department of Energy to insure the coal R&D programs administered by the Department of Energy are adequately funded and made recommendations to Department of Energy that they include significantly larger requests for the coal program in their Fossil Energy Budget Request to Congress. As a member of CURC, you could help set funding priorities and work closely with the Department of Energy on the administration of these programs.

Development of Industry Roadmap

In a collaborative effort to identify future technologies to effectively use coal, the CURC, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) developed a clean coal technology Roadmap, originally released in 2001. The Roadmap identifies a variety of research, development and demonstration priorities that if adequately funded and pursued, could lead to the successful development of a set of coal-based technologies that will be cost-effective, highly efficient and achieve near zero emissions to our air and water resources. In mid-2005, the CURC, in cooperation with EPRI, began an update of the Roadmap, including a review of both the programs and technologies identified in the original Roadmap, as well as the costs, performance levels, progress achieved during the last several years and total projected costs to government and industry if the goals of the Roadmap are to be achieved. DOE was consulted on a provisional basis to review the revised document. The new CURC-EPRI Roadmap, released in 2006, defines the steps necessary to achieve near zero emissions from coal use, including the capture and sequestration of CO2, and suggests that the investment necessary to achieve the goals of Roadmap is approximately $11.0 billion between now and 2025. As a member of CURC, you can help define coal technology development priorities as CURC revisits the Roadmap technology development costs and carbon management technology portfolio in 2007.

Contact with Industry Colleagues

The CURC provides a forum for your company representatives to interact in an informal way with other industry leaders, including officials and coal program managers at the U.S. Department of Energy. The CURC brings together a range of companies with an interest in keeping coal competitive - from entities that do the research and manufacture the machinery to those that produce coal, to a company that transports it to the utility that uses it, the CURC represents a diverse cross section of coal interests. The CURC has triannual general membership meetings, and several times during the year, we hold meetings tailored to our "subcommittees," which include the Technical Subcommittee (where research priorities are determined) and our Government Affairs Subcommittee (where Washington Representatives meet to determine appropriate advocacy strategies). Your representatives enjoy professional development while working with industry experts for the purpose of determining the technologies that must be invested in today to ensure coal is here tomorrow, and for developing federal policy and programs that focus on that technology development. As a member of CURC, you stay connected.

Easy Access to Congressional Materials

CURC staff provides analysis of key legislation and keeps members abreast of Congressional activities of interest to CURC. When a member of Congress addresses issues of interest on the floor of the House or Senate, we offer links to the relevant materials. We maintain relations with Members and their staff who are key to coal-related funding and policy issues, and educate Members and staff that are not familiar with our issues. CURC staff attends Congressional hearings and markups on legislative matters of interest to CURC members and write summaries for the CURC membership. These memos, analyses and Congressional information are posted on the CURC website and provide links to official testimony when available. As a member of CURC, you keep track of Congress.

Representation on Capitol Hill

CURC staff arranges meetings with Members and congressional staffers to advocate funding for coal R&D and to educate staff about the importance of coal-fired electricity to the economy. When we arrange a Hill visit, our Government Affairs Subcommittee members are notified and invited to attend. While most Washington Representatives already lobby, CURC provides another avenue for increasing your contact with Hill staff. We also provide CURC materials for these visits. As a member of CURC, your voice is heard.

Information at Your Fingertips

The CURC is a very active organization. We maintain a useful website which includes a special "Members Only" link. Members are provided access to all CURC materials, charts, graphs, and budget requests, including summaries of CURC contact with congressional staff and a copy of the CURC roadmap. We include a continuously updated schedule of upcoming CURC meetings and list of upcoming Congressional hearings of interest to CURC members. We also add summaries of select hearings and key legislation, and other issues of interest to CURC members. We update our members via email with memoranda, meeting notifications, and links to new additions to the website. As a member of CURC, you stay informed.