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January/February 2014


INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES


$1 Billion Grant for Carbon Capture


NRECA/AP/Bloomburg— The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) gave the go-ahead to a $1.65 billion project to refit a coal-fired power plant in Meredosia, Ill., to study carbon capture methods. The process will remove carbon dioxide from the coal and store it underground.


In its 25-page approval, the DOE said the project planners addressed the EPA's concerns about


potential air pollution and stated, "Clean coal is an essential component of President Barack Obama's 'All of the Above' energy strategy."


The DOE will provide $1 billion to the project with FutureGen Alliance, a group of coal companies formed exclusively to work on this project. FutureGen will provide the remaining required funding.


Benefits of Being Small


NRECA/ECT.coop— The Small Business Administration (SBA) is changing how it defines a small business with respect to electric cooperatives. As of Jan. 22, all


distribution co-ops and all but three generation and transmission co-ops with fossil-fired generation will be classified as "small." The new SBA definition


will reduce the co-ops' regulatory burden and may exclude them from


legislative requirements, predicts Martha Duggan, NRECA senior principal of regulatory affairs. This outcome is the result


of a three-year process during which NRECA communicated freely with SBA staff to educate them via white papers on the unique business model of electric co-ops. "SBA staff were receptive


to the cooperative story," said Russell Tucker, NRECA chief economist.


Norman, Oklahoma Call for Increased LIHEAP


ECT.coop—Thirty-nine U.S. senators signed a letter asking the president to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in 2015. This call follows a letter from 12 state governors asking Congress to step up funding. LIHEAP appropriations for 2014 are $3.6


billion compared to the $5.1 billion from fiscal year 2010. In 2013, LIHEAP was down to $3.29 billion after sequestration cuts. The lawmakers asked that “no less than


$4.7 billion” be allocated to the program in the president’s fiscal 2015 budget proposal. “We understand the ongoing discretionary


budget challenges. However, we are deeply concerned that funding for LIHEAP has declined more than 30 percent in recent years,” the senators wrote. “Moreover, the number of households eligible for assistance continues to exceed available funding.” The senators come from across the nation


and while the majority are Democratic, their numbers include several Republicans and Independents. Neither Oklahoma senator nor the governor signed the letters. “Energy costs remain high and LIHEAP


funding is a vital lifeline that helps prevent people from having to choose between heating their home, paying their bills, or going without food or medicine,” said Sen. Susan Collins (Rep.) of Maine. “Access to affordable home heating is


not a luxury—it is a matter of health and safety,” added Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Dem.) of Minnesota.


News Magazine 7


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