In keeping with policy directives in President Bush’s national energy strategy, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced this week that the Department of Energy (DOE) will undertake a full-scale review of ongoing federal oil and natural gas research programs.

The review will consist of three public hearings, the first of which will be held in Denver, CO, Wednesday. It will be followed by hearings in Pittsburgh, PA, on Aug. 13 and in Houston, TX, on Aug. 14, at which industry experts, politicians and others will address the future direction of federal government oil and gas research and development.

“The president’s energy policy makes it clear that new technology will be key to finding and producing more oil and gas both in the United States and globally. The review I am directing will help us define the technology investments that the U.S. government should be making with industry to keep oil and gas flowing from America’s wells,” Abraham said.

He said the results of the review, which is expected to be completed in September, will help shape the Bush administration’s funding in this area for fiscal year 2003. It also will aid the DOE in identifying new sources of energy production, new technologies to help domestic producers find and extract more oil and gas in an environmentally safe manner, and aggressive conservation measures, Abraham noted.

The review is expected to target a full range of the DOE’s current oil and gas technology programs, from innovations in exploration and production to advanced technologies for pipelines, the department said. It also will focus on the best ways to implement two proposals in President Bush’s energy policy: greater enhanced oil and gas recovery from existing wells through new technologies, and improvements in exploration technology through continued partnership with public and private entities.

For more information about the review and the public hearings, log on to DOE’s web site at https://www.energy.gov.

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