78R17840 KMP-D

By:  Kolkhorst                                                    H.R. No. 1555



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, FutureGen, the Integrated Sequestration and 
Hydrogen Research Initiative, is a $1 billion partnership between 
government and private industry that was formed in response to 
President George W. Bush's announced Climate Change and Hydrogen 
Fuels Initiative; and
	WHEREAS, The goal of FutureGen is to design, build, and 
operate a nearly emission-free, coal-fired electric and hydrogen 
production plant that will be the cleanest fossil-fuel-powered 
energy plant in the world; using cutting-edge technology, FutureGen 
will explore new methods of electricity production, 
coal-to-hydrogen conversion, and carbon capture and storage; and
	WHEREAS, These initiatives are of particular interest to the 
Lone Star State, which has large deposits of coal, lignite, and many 
older oil fields that could benefit from FutureGen's advanced oil 
recovery procedures; in addition, Texas is home to many geological 
formations that could be used to permanently sequester the carbon 
dioxide produced by FutureGen plants, including aquifers, coal 
seams, and depleted oil and gas reservoirs; a number of agencies and 
organizations have joined forces to maximize the opportunities for 
carbon sequestration technologies, including the Railroad 
Commission of Texas, the Texas Clean Coal Technology Council, the 
Southern States Energy Board, and the Bureau of Economic Geology at 
The University of Texas at Austin; and
	WHEREAS, The FutureGen consortium, which includes two Texas 
companies among its charter members, is also intended to work at the 
international level to promote cleaner and more efficient energy 
production around the world, and to this end, Secretary of Energy 
Spencer Abraham and officials from the U.S. Department of State 
have launched a global Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum; the 
need for alternative energy sources and alternative power 
production technologies has never been greater, and today the 
citizens of Texas look forward to playing a key role in this 
exciting endeavor; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby commend the efforts of the FutureGen consortium 
in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and promoting the use 
of energy resources found throughout the Lone Star State; and, be it 
further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the members of the consortium as an expression of high 
regard by the Texas House of Representatives.