Newswise — The Energy Committee of the ASME Council on Engineering ranks distributed generation and clean coal technology as research priorities in the nation's energy program and urges the U.S. Department of Energy to allocate appropriate funds in those areas.
In written testimony submitted to the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior and Related Agencies, the committee emphasized the importance of a strong federal investment in basic engineering research and stresses a commitment to programs that aim to increase domestic supplies of oil and natural gas, such as advanced deepwater modeling.
Other programs deemed essential by the committee include research in gas hydrates and control of mercury emissions in coal-fired electric generating stations. "Given the abundance and low price of coal, we simply must find ways to make it more environmentally benign," the testimony stated.
It also urges DOE to commit resources to energy conservation and continue funding for the Industries of the Future program, in which members of industry collaborate with government agencies to reduce energy use in manufacturing plants and other facilities. "Improving the competitiveness of U.S. industry in the global marketplace is to improve energy efficiency in manufacturing and other industrial processes as a way to reduce costs," says the testimony.
The Energy Committee applauds Congress for their support of the President's Coal Research Initiative, which is critical to processes aimed at developing more environmentally friendly coal combustion technologies. The committee urges the DOE to commit long-term programs that will "enable technology developers to plan effectively for demonstrating large-scale systems for commercial deployment."
The entire testimony, including the Energy Committee's recommendations for fiscal year 2005 budget allocations for DOE, is available a http://www.asme.org/gric/ps/ps04.html.
Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, today's ASME is a 120,000-member professional organization focused on technical, educational and research issues of the engineering and technology community. ASME conducts one of the world's largest technical publishing operations, holds numerous technical conferences worldwide, and offers hundreds of professional development courses each year. ASME sets internationally recognized industrial and manufacturing codes and standards that enhance public welfare and safety.
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