Throughout my career as a Member of Congress I have supported the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and worked to bring opportunities and hope to the people of southern West Virginia.  The ARC has brought numerous beneficial programs to our communities and has spurred private-sector growth by providing seed monies and necessary infrastructure.  From the Appalachian Development Highway System to its E-commerce and broadband initiatives, the ARC has been a driving force for progress and development throughout our region.  
 
In continuation of my support of the ARC, I recently helped to pass out of the House S. 496 -- the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 2008 -- a bill that not only reauthorizes the ARC and its existing programs, but one that also expands its mission to include an initiative aimed at helping West Virginia, and the region, lead our Nation’s quest for greater energy independence.

This bill creates the new “Economic and Energy Development Initiative,” which would boost development of an environmentally advanced coal-to-liquids (CTL) industry.  

Under this new authority, the ARC would be able to make grants, enter into contracts, and provide technical assistance for energy initiatives that use biomass (plant materials) to produce alternative liquid fuels; biomass would be used in combination with coal to create liquid coal fuels with reduced emissions. The new program would also support efforts to capture and store carbon emissions from the generation of coal-based power before they are released into the atmosphere. 

Both components of the new program are important to our continued use of coal throughout the foreseeable future.  A study by Princeton University, for example, found that, by combining 30 percent biomass with coal in the conversion process and capturing and sequestering the carbon dioxide, CTL fuel can be made cleaner than other conventional liquid fuels in use today.  In addition, CTL is strategically beneficial to our Defense Department, which is vigorously pursuing the growth of a domestic alternative fuels industry to make the fuel it needs to keep America secure. 

Moreover, CTL fuels can assure us of a readily useable lower cost alternative to current high-priced transportation fuels.  Coal can help to alleviate our over-reliance on foreign fuels.  Echoing this point, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently called on President Bush to greatly increase our research, development, and demonstration of clean coal technologies to meet our country’s expanding fuel needs.

West Virginia is already providing energy to help power our Nation, and, with the help of this new ARC program, we can do even more.  By providing investments in cutting-edge coal technology, the ARC can continue playing a pivotal role in shaping the economic future of our region while helping our Nation move toward greater energy independence.