Full Committee - H.R. 3246, H.R. 3165, H.R. 3029, H.R. 3247
Opening Statement By Chairman Bart Gordon
Good Morning. The Committee will come to order. Pursuant to notice, the Committee on Science and Technology meets to consider the following measures:
- H.R. 3246, the Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009;
- H.R. 3165, the Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2009;
- H.R. 3029, to establish a research, development, and technology demonstration program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in combined cycle power generation systems; and,
- H.R. 3247, to establish a social and behavioral sciences research program at the Department of Energy, and for other purposes.
We will now proceed with the markup.
This morning the Committee will consider four bills.
H.R. 3246, the Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009 is authored by our colleague, Rep. Peters, and co-sponsored by Rep. Biggert. H.R. 3246 authorizes research and development on vehicles with a goal of reducing or eliminating petroleum fuel use and their associated emissions.
We will also consider H.R. 3165, the Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2009 and H.R. 3029, a bill to authorize R&D to improve the efficiency of gas turbines. Both of these bills are authored by Mr. Tonko.
H.R. 3165 authorizes R&D on wind power. The specific areas of R&D were identified in recent reports by the Department of Energy and the American Wind Energy Association describing the areas of improvement needed if we are to expand wind powered electricity generation.
Currently, 15 percent of our electric power is produced from natural gas. Over the next decade, this percentage is predicted to double. The R&D authorized in H.R. 3029 is intended to improve the efficiency of the turbines used in these combined cycle power generation systems. It is vital that utilities build new plants to be as efficient as possible since the investment costs are high and plants operate for many decades once they are brought on line.
Finally, we will be marking up H.R. 3247, a bill to establish a social and behavioral research program at the Department of Energy. H.R. 3247 was introduced by Dr. Baird, who has been a champion of this area of research throughout his service on the Committee. People determine the success or failure of new technologies. It is important to understand why some technologies are more readily adopted than others. And it is important that we communicate to the public clearly about the challenges and opportunities of becoming a more energy efficient society. H.R. 3247 will help us to accomplish these important goals.
The four bills we have before us today target several important energy research needs. I congratulate the Members for their work on these bills, and I look forward to a productive markup. Thank you all for your attendance and participation this morning.
I now recognize Mr. Hall to present his opening remarks.
- H.R. 3246, the Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009
- H.R. 3165, the Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2009
- H.R. 3029, to establish a research, development, and technology demonstration program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in combined cycle power generation systems
- H.R. 3247, to establish a social and behavioral sciences research program at the Department of Energy, and for other purposes