Issue Position: Energy

Issue Position

Leading the Fight to Wean Pennsylvania and the Nation off Foreign Oil,
Reduce Carbon Emissions and Create Thousands of Jobs

State Rep. David Kessler is leading the fight to bring an innovative new technology to Pennsylvania that would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, protect the environment, help farmers and create thousands of permanent jobs.

Rep. Kessler's plan: To build first-of-it's-kind fuel plants in Pennsylvania that use the energy of algae to produce oil, electricity, and fertilizer.

"We need permanent jobs, new-technology jobs, in order to turn Pennsylvania around," Rep. Kessler recently told WFMZ-TV : "This could be a big piece of the puzzle."

He has already worked with officials in business and government to kick-start the process, with both sides participating in this important endeavor.

The technology works by gasifying algae, mixed with coal and/or coal waste. That produces a cleaner, more efficient gasoline, diesel and jet fuel that could be sold for less than today's prices. By gasifying the coal and/or coal waste there is no ash left over. Then, what's left of the algae can be used as fertilizer.

Even better, using algae to create fuel would make clean coal even cleaner. Algae live of carbon dioxide, so the technology captures the emissions from the coal plant and pumps them into the algae. The algae then converts the carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Once built, the plant would create a ripple effect of thousands of jobs and increased energy independence.

"We hear that phrase so often: Wean ourselves off of foreign oil." Rep. Kessler said. "This could be the answer. "Pennsylvania could be the leader"

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