CRAIG'S WEEKLY COLUMN: THE FUTURE'S SO BRIGHT...IDAHO'S GOTTA WEAR SHADES

Apr 12, 2008 (Congressional Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- -- Susan Irby (202) 224-8078

April 11, 2008 Will Hart (208) 342-7985

The Future's So Bright.Idaho's Gotta Wear Shades

by Senator Larry Craig

As Idahoans, our lives are perhaps more affected today by economic growth from the "go clean" movement than any other part of the country. I remember the tech boom in the Silicon Valley in the 1980s, and I can't help but think we are becoming the Silicon Valley of the clean energy world.

We can proudly take inventory of a cornucopia of clean energy sources that stretch across our state. Idaho boasts being the birthplace of nuclear energy at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and we are also the lucky beneficiaries of more than 50 years of hydroelectric power that have allowed Idahoans to pay the lowest power rates in the country, while also emitting the fewest greenhouse gases.

Beyond our nuclear and hydropower legacies, we have recently added the world's first wind-to-hydrogen plant near Mountain Home, the country's newest geothermal plant near Raft River, and a solar manufacturing plant in Pocatello. Our largest new wind farm in Idaho Falls now has friends popping up throughout the Magic Valley.

But that's not all. Idaho's Clean Energy Corridor may be about to experience a growth our State has never seen before. INL is proceeding with the construction of the next generation of nuclear plants, while simultaneously developing recycling technology to handle the risks of "spent" fuel from the past and the future. Bonneville County is a finalist for a $2 billion uranium enrichment plant that will produce the fuel for existing and future reactors. Since I first spoke to the French-based Areva company about bringing that plant to Idaho, we have managed to showcase our State's unparalleled public and political support and knowledge, along with our competitive business climate. We could know soon if these efforts will pan out, and the result could be the largest energy project built in Idaho since the dams.

Our clean energy future is not limited to clean electrical power.

Idaho is being considered for two cutting edge clean fuels projects. A zero-emissions advanced coal-to-liquids plant is in the works near American Falls that could provide chemicals and fuels throughout the State. And for the last five years, I have been encouraging the Iogen company to build the world's first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Shelley. I included a loan guarantee provision in the 2005 Energy Bill for that purpose, and last week I flew to Ottawa, Canada to tour Iogen's demonstration plant. I am now convinced that they are serious about investing in our country - and hopefully in Idaho - very soon. This would mean not only jobs in their biorefinery and affordable fuel for Idahoans, but that they would also be using locally-procured wheat and barley straw to produce clean-burning ethanol.

I am proud that Idaho is clean and getting cleaner. I hope you will join me in welcoming what could be a "clean energy corridor" in our great State, and help make Idaho a continued leader in this exciting clean energy revolution.

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