Ken Nemeth: nemeth@sseb.org
Composed of industries, academia and business executives, the Southern States Energy Board's Committee on Clean Coal and Energy Technologies Collaboration advances opportunities for applied research and development, investment, international cooperation and technology design for coal in the southern region. During its tenure, the Committee has been responsible for coupling the development of clean coal technologies with potential domestic and international economic development opportunities. The program also affords partners the opportunity to leverage U.S. resources to influence international occasions for the deployment of those coal-based technologies that mitigate greenhouse gases and provide carbon sequestration solutions to reduce the effects of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.
Recently, the Committee has been focusing on those issues related to carbon management and coal use in the South, especially legislation currently being considered at federal and state levels, including cap and trade, carbon taxes, and individual states' enactment of laws on carbon sequestration, land use planning, state building code updates, and alternative energy and renewable energy portfolio standards. In addition, mountain top mining has been a serious issue for southern mining states, and the Committee has examined use of some of those sites for state facilities and renewable energy applications.
Another area of interest among Collaboration partners is the need for continuing education and training for mining personnel of the future. Because almost one-half of the coal miners in the Southeast face retirement in the next five years, there is a critical need to centralize training efforts to stabilize the workforce while increasing mining productivity.
The Southern States Energy Board maintains a productive partnership for examining issues related to coal and carbon management with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Coal and Power and the Office of Clean Coal and Energy Collaboration. International efforts, such as participation in the 23 nation Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, are coordinated with the Cleaner Fossil Fuel Systems Committee of the World Energy Council and the United States Energy Association.
6325 Amherst Court, Norcross, Georgia, 30092 | Tel: (770) 242-7712 | Fax: (770) 242-9956
