Washington
DC Office
307 Dirksen Senate
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-6441
Fax: 202-224-1724
Wyoming Office
P.O. Box 22201
Casper, WY 82602
307-261-6413
|
|
| |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Contact: Cameron Hardy
202-224-6441 |
 |
|
| |
Thomas: Coal-To-Wire Technology Needed
Energy Hearing examines reliability of coal-based electric generation |
| |
May 25th, 2006 - WASHINGTON – At a Senate Energy Committee hearing today to consider the reliability of coal-based electric generation, U.S. Senator Craig Thomas called for support of coal-to-wire technologies in Wyoming, in the face of reduced coal deliveries to utilities by rail.
“We’ve got a real problem on our hands with transportation of coal by rail and the proof is in the numbers,” Thomas said at the outset of today’s hearing.
“While 50 percent of the electricity generated in the United States comes from coal -- 40 percent of that coal comes from the Powder River Basin, but a whopping 60 percent of the price paid for that coal comes from the cost of transportation by rail.”
“That’s a tough pill to swallow for some folks, because as much as we need this valuable resource, coal deliveries were reduced by nearly 25 percent last year,” Thomas said.
“We need to fix the rail problem and even more importantly, we need to build more transmission lines so electricity can be generated at the site of our coal reserves. Once we build our electricity infrastructure, Wyoming power can be transported by wire. This is certainly a more efficient, and in the long-term, more effective solution for our energy needs.”
“While I understand the details of the rail situation – I believe the numbers speak for themselves.”
###
|
|
|
|
|
