Publication date: 17-December-2003 
Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- National civilian science labs and state research institutions across Illinois could be among the winners in a wide-ranging energy bill before Congress that could also help develop new coal technologies and hydrogen-powered cars.

The authorized funding for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science would increase 65 percent by 2008, reaching $5.38 billion, under a provision sought by Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Ill., that is expected to be a boost for Illinois-based research.

"Funding for research in the physical sciences has remained stagnant since 1990," said Biggest, the chairman of the energy subcommittee of the House Science Committee. "This bill shows Congress' commitment to change that."

The fate of the new funding provision is uncertain. The energy bill has passed the House, but is stalled in the Senate, largely over a proposal to limit the legal liability of manufacturers of the fuel additive MTBE, a potential carcinogen which has been found in the drinking water or groundwater of several states, including Illinois.

Members of Illinois' congressional delegation and their aides say it is clear, however, that the new funding authorization levels for research could be significant for the state, giving strong guidelines for what future appropriations should be.

Illinois already receives more than $600 million from the Office of Science, with about $550 million going to Argonne National Laboratory and the Fermi National Accelerator Research Laboratory.

"It's not widely recognized that 20 percent of DOE Office of Science funding comes to the state of Illinois," said Fermilab Director Michael Witherell. "Illinois has one of the biggest stakes of all the states in the Office of Science."

At Argonne, officials at the Transportation Research and Development Center, also expect to get some of the $2 billion that would be authorized for President Bush's initiative to fund long-term research for a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

The University of Illinois, which now gets $15 million a year in research contracts from the Department of Energy, would also expect to reap money for collaborative efforts with Fermi and Argonne.

"The University of Illinois is well-positioned to take advantage of the provisions of the new energy bill," said Rick Schoell, the university's executive director for governmental relations.

The legislation also includes a provision giving the secretary of the Department of Energy the authority to establish "Centers of Excellence for Energy Systems of the Future" at universities with a proven record of demonstrating clean coal technologies.

Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., said he pushed for the program with the expectation that Southern Illinois University at Carbondale could garner millions of dollars in new research grants.

"We think we have many great assets in coal and energy research, and we think, logically, we'd get that designation," said Scott Kaiser, assistant to the president at SIU-Carbondale.

SIU estimates the designation could translate into $2 million to $5 million a year in additional research funding, Kaiser said.

John Meade, director of the SIU's Coal Research Center, said if the school becomes a Center of Excellence it could improve Illinois' chances of winning the competition to land the Department of Energy's estimated $1 billion research project called FutureGen.

That would involve a model 275-megawatt plant that would use clean-coal technology to generate electricity and provide a new source of clean-burning hydrogen that the Bush administration hopes would be a cost-effective replacement for gasoline. It also would trap waste carbon dioxide in deep underground formations.