GRAND FORKS, North Dakota --- The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota, internationally renowned for the development of energy and environmental technologies and organizing the Air Quality Conferences, today announced the panelists for the upcoming Air Quality VII Conference, which will be held October 26-29, 2009, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. Air Quality VII is the nation's premier conference on carbon management, mercury, trace substances, sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrous oxides (NOx), and particulate matter.

The Air Quality VII Conference is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Electric Power Research Institute, Inc., and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the EERC's Center for Air Toxic Metals®.

The 3½-day conference kicks off on Monday, October 26, with special comments by Carl Bauer, Director of DOE NETL, and two high-level keynote speakers to be announced in the coming weeks, as well as a panel discussion on moving carbon capture and sequestration technologies out of the laboratory and into the commercial marketplace. The panel moderator is Tom Erickson, Associate Director for Research, EERC.

Panelists include the following:

• John Stowell, Vice President of Environmental Policy, Duke Energy

• Tom Olle, Vice President of Strategic Solutions, Encore Acquisition Company

• Jackie Prince Roberts, Director of Sustainable Technologies, The Environmental Defense Fund

• Michael Moore, Vice President of Business Development and External Affairs, Blue Source, LLC

• John Harju, Associate Director for Research, EERC

"Technology development is imperative for the energy industry to provide environmentally responsible services to its customer base," said Harju. "This panel consists of leading experts representing industry, the environmental community, and carbon markets who will address the emerging policy and scientific issues regarding carbon capture and sequestration in the context of environmental responsibility and economic growth."

The remainder of the week will be filled with intensive educational sessions, featured speakers, and excellent opportunities for attendees to connect with customers and industry leaders. More than 300 people from 36 states, 6 Canadian provinces, and 10 foreign countries are currently registered for the conference.

All those who wish to attend this year's conference can save almost 10% on the late-registration rate by signing up before October 2. For details about this year's Air Quality Conference or to register, visit www.undeerc.org/AQ7, or call (701) 777-5246.