The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“COAL-TO-LIQUID FUEL ENERGY ACT OF 2006” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1385 on July 12, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
COAL-TO-LIQUID FUEL ENERGY ACT OF 2006
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HON. NICK J. RAHALL II
of west virginia
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, while other industrialized countries have embraced weaning themselves off imported oil by commercializing coal-
to-liquid fuel technologies for transportation fuels, the United States has lagged behind in this endeavor as it has with other alternative fuels primarily due to the lack of will and the price of oil.
South Africa, for instance, at its Sasol facilities, is meeting 30 percent of its liquid fuel requirements through coal liquefaction using a technology originally developed in Germany during the 1920s. Worldwide oil prices are now at a level that would make more attractive investments in large-scale coal-to-liquid fuel facilities in this country. However, as evident with other alternative fuels such as ethanol, federal incentives will be necessary in order to sustain this type of an effort over the long-term.
The ``Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Energy Act of 2006'' proposes to take an omnibus approach to the commercialization of coal liquefaction technology by stimulating the production, marketing, and use of coal-
to-liquid fuels. The bill would:
Amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to explicitly make commercial coal-to-liquid fuel facilities eligible under that law's energy project loan guarantee program.
Establish a loan program within the Department of Energy to commercialize coal-to-liquid fuel facilities.
Authorize as the Energy Secretary deems appropriate the purchase of coal-to-liquid fuels for Strategic Petroleum Reserve purposes.
Extend through 2020 the availability of the alternative fuel excise tax credit for coal-to-liquid fuels authorized by the 2005 federal highway and transit reauthorization legislation (SAFETEA-LU).
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