 FETC a national lab
DOH commends research center
BY JENNI VINCENT
With a stroke of his pen, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Bill Richardson transformed the Federal Energy Technology Center into the country’s 15th national laboratory. As local dignitaries and hundreds of FETC employees watched, Richardson — flanked by Sen. Robert C. Byrd and FETC Director Rita Bajura — inked a document renaming the Collins Ferry Road facility as the National Energy Technology Laboratory. “We need a world-renowned center for fossil energy and environmental technology,” Richardson said during Friday afternoon’s ceremony. “We will make that happen here. “Because of the important work you do, I want you to have the full status of a national laboratory,” he said. “The full range of opportunities, prestige and money. Through the innovation and hard work of the DOE’s newest national laboratory, we can help continue to fuel America’s economy at the same time we help clean up the environment,” Richardson said. Byrd said the designation is a significant step toward the continued use of fossil fuels and a clean environment. “With expanded research into the use of clean coal technologies and by demonstrating and deploying these technologies, coal can continue to be a viable ‘cleaner and greener’ fuel for power generation both here and abroad,” Byrd said. “I have long contended that economic growth does not have to mean environmental retrenchment,” he said. “We can both grow and protect our planet.” Richardson also announced the creation of a Center for Advanced Natural Gas Studies at the new national laboratory. The National Energy Technology Laboratory joins the ranks of other well-known labs such as the Argonne National Laboratory, in Illinois, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Tennessee. Created more than a half-century ago, the DOE’s national laboratories constitute the largest research system of its kind in the world, Richardson said. “For much of this century, U.S. government research facilities here and in Pittsburgh have been at the forefront of advancements in fossil fuel and environmental technologies,” Richardson said. FETC — located at sites in Morgantown and Pittsburgh — was created in December 1996 through the consolidation of the former Morgantown Energy Technology Center and the former Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center. It became the nation’s largest fossil fuel research complex, Richardson said. A total of 550 federal employees and 550 site-support contractor employees work at FETC, roughly half at each site. Using technology to develop cleaner and more efficient ways of burning fossil fuels is important nationally and internationally, Richardson said. “Fortunately that’s what you already do here,” he said. “You develop ways to boost the efficiency of fossil fuels. That’s good for our country’s energy needs and good for the world’s environment.” There is just as much opportunity for high-tech innovation with fossil fuels as there is for solar, wind or any other energy resource, Richardson said. “We need to do more to send that message,” he said. “We need to elevate the potential for high-tech fossil fuels.” FETC has managed the DOE’s $6 billion Clean Coal Technology Program, as well as projects dealing with natural gas, advanced power systems, environmental and waste management. Richardson said the new laboratory will complement the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Colorado. “Our energy portfolio must include a balanced mix of traditional and nontraditional fuels,” Richardson said. Richardson, who is the first DOE secretary to visit the Morgantown site, said the change will not directly impact the center’s hundreds of employees. Brought to you by dominionpost.com Last modified 1999:12:11
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