For Additional Information:
John Grasser (202) 463-2651
Karen Batra (202) 463-2651

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2001

THE FOLLOWING IS A STATEMENT FROM JACK N. GERARD, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE NATIONAL MINING ASSOCIATION ON THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NATIONAL ENERGY SECURITY ACT 2001

"Senator Murkowski has presented a viable starting point for a national debate on these energy issues which are so critical to American consumers and our growing national economy.

"Obviously, our increasing demand for energy and the crisis situation in California has created concerns throughout the country. This winter, more and more Americans are unable to pay their electric bills and rolling blackouts are leaving families in the dark and in the cold. Increased energy costs are forcing businesses to shut down and lay off workers.

"The nation needs clean, affordable, reliable electricity. At present, coal provides over half of our nation's electricity. We must find ways to make our primary fuel sources even more efficient, and find ways to increase the capacity of our other energy resources. Increased efficiency means conservation, and this bill provides the technologies to do just that.

"We must have an adequate energy supply to meet our growing demand. Steps taken this year could well guarantee the reliability of America's electric power supply for generations to come."

More than half of America’s electricity is generated from coal. Coal is our nation's most abundant energy resource, accounting for more than 90 percent of all fossil energy reserves and representing a secure supply for the next 250 years. On average, coal-fired power is less than one-half the cost of oil, and at current prices, coal power is about one-fifth the cost of natural gas. Modern technologies have made coal-fired generation increasingly clean.