Rep. Peter J. Visclosky Holds a Hearing On Energy and Conservation, Fossil Energy, Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability

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Rep. Peter J. Visclosky Holds a Hearing On Energy and Conservation, Fossil Energy, Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT HOLDS A HEARING ON ENERGY AND CONSERVATION, FOSSIL ENERGY, ELECTRICITY DELIVERY AND ENERGY RELIABILITY

MARCH 11, 2008

SPEAKERS: REP. PETER J. VISCLOSKY, D-IND. CHAIRMAN REP. CHET EDWARDS, D-TEXAS REP. ED PASTOR, D-ARIZ. REP. MARION BERRY, D-ARK. REP. CHAKA FATTAH, D-PA. REP. STEVE ISRAEL, D-N.Y. REP. TIM RYAN, D-OHIO REP. JOSE E. SERRANO, D-N.Y. REP. JOHN W. OLVER, D-MASS. REP. DAVID R. OBEY, D-WIS. EX OFFICIO

REP. DAVID L. HOBSON, R-OHIO RANKING MEMBER REP. ZACH WAMP, R-TENN. REP. JO ANN EMERSON, R-MO. REP. MIKE SIMPSON, R-IDAHO REP. KAY GRANGER, R-TEXAS REP. JERRY LEWIS, R-CALIF. EX OFFICIO

WITNESSES: BUD ALBRIGHT JR., UNDERSECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

ALEXANDER KARSNER, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

JAMES SLUTZ, ACTING PRINCIPAL DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY, FOSSIL ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

KEVIN KOLEVAR, DIRECTOR, ELECTRICITY DELIVERY AND ENERGY RELIABILITY, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[*] VISCLOSKY: Good morning. The subcommittee will come to order. The Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development meets today to hear testimony on energy research and development programs at the Department of Energy.

The rising price of gasoline is hitting the wallet of every American. In January 2003, the average retail price for a gallon of gasoline in the United States was $1.50, roughly equal to the real, inflation-adjusted price during much of the preceding half-century. Since then, the price of gasoline has risen sharply. It was last below $2 per gallon in February, 2005, and for much of 2007 prices topped $3 per gallon. Over the past two years, this subcommittee has provided $2.4 billion to support research, development and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency programs.

Today, we have the assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, Mr. Andy Karsner, to discuss his fiscal year 2009 budget request. I will ask you, Mr. Karsner, how this investment in your programs will ease the price of energy for all Americans since the expenditures of these monies does not seem to have had a positive effect to date.

Hardly a day goes by without a story on the future use of coal, concern over CO2 emissions, and whether utilities will go ahead with future coal plants. Mr. James Slutz, the acting principal deputy for fossil energy, is here to defend the fiscal year 2009 fossil energy budget request, and I do hope our discussion today, Mr. Slutz, is in nominal dollars.

Monitoring the electric grid capacity, surety and security are key to making electricity available to all of us. Assistant secretary for electricity delivery and energy reliability, Mr. Kevin Kolevar, has the job where if you don't see him, it is a good thing, because it means grid operations are working. We look forward to hearing about the fiscal year 2009 budget request for these programs.

And finally, we are pleased to have the under secretary of energy, Mr. Bud Albright, for his first appearance before this subcommittee. Mr. Albright, welcome very much. We would like to hear from you about the programs under your jurisdiction, along with specific administration initiatives such as the retooling of FutureGen and the reoccurring initiative to expand the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Gentlemen, welcome. Let me ask you to present a summary of your remarks. Your full written testimony will be entered into the record. I ask that you ensure that the hearing record, the questions for the record, and any supporting information requested by the subcommittee are cleared through the department and the Office of Management and Budget, and delivered in final form to the subcommittee no later than four weeks from today, since we will potentially be under very tight time constraints as far as marking up our bill.

All members who have additional questions for the record, please have them submitted to the subcommittee offices by 5:00 p.m. today.

And now it is my pleasure to turn to my friend and colleague, Mr. Hobson, for any opening remarks he has.

HOBSON: Good morning, and thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Well, gentlemen, welcome to an unfortunate series of Energy Department hearings. I do hope we won't hear another recounting this morning of how the department is ignoring congressional direction in order to meet its own internal priorities. Some of you have been here before. Bud, it is go...

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