Welcomes and Introductions

Thomas Erickson, Associate Director for Research, Energy & Environmental Research Center/ Western Fuels Symposium Technical Coordinator

Neville Holt, Manager, Advanced Coal Generation Technology, EPRI/Western Fuels Symposium Session Chair/Speaker

Gerald Groenewold, Director, Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC)
Since 1987, Gerald Groenewold has served as the Director of the EERC, where he leads a multidisciplinary science and engineering research team focused on the development, demonstration, and commercialization of energy and environmental technologies, including advanced power and energy systems; energy conversion system optimization; environmental control technologies (particulates, air toxic metals, SO_x, NO_x, and SO₂), hydrogen production and distribution, renewable energy, environmental chemistry, energy resources (oil, gas, and coal), waste management and remediation, and water management.

The Honorable Byron Dorgan, U.S. Senator (D-North Dakota), Washington, D.C.
Senator Dorgan was reelected to the U.S. Senate in 1998 by an overwhelming majority after serving one term in the U.S. Senate and six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1998, he was named the Chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee-the first North Dakotan ever to hold this position or to serve in the Democratic leadership. From 1996 to 1998, he served in the Democratic leadership as Assistant Floor Leader. Currently, he is a member of four Senate standing committees-Appropriations; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; and Indian Affairs-and eleven subcommittees, including ranking member of the Subcommittee on Water and Power and, most recently, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Interior.

Keynote Addresses

Rita A. Bajura, Director, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), U.S. Department of Energy.
Rita Bajura is the Director of NETL, a DOE national laboratory that conducts research spanning DOE's science, energy, national security, and environmental quality missions. As NETL Director, Ms. Bajura oversees the implementation of major science and technology development programs in fossil energy and environmental technologies, including advanced power generation technologies fueled by coal, natural gas, and biomass; environmental control technologies for the existing fleet of fossil steam plants; ultraclean fuels for the transportation sector; technologies to enhance the efficiency and environmental quality of domestic oil production; natural gas exploration, production, and processing; and environmental technologies to clean up DOE's former nuclear production sites.

The Honorable Conrad Burns, U.S. Senator (R-Montana), Washington, D.C.
Senator Burns was elected to the Senate in 1989 and is now in his third term. With a seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, he has been able to bring in over $1 billion in federal funds to the state. He has pursued new markets for agricultural producers and secured millions of dollars in grants for research and marketing improvements. Serving as Chairman of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Burns has jurisdiction over the country's federal lands and the National Park Service. On the national level, he has criticized America's dependence on foreign oil supplies, calling on Congress to increase domestic production and research in fuel cell technology.