WRAP UP

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
1/4/13

IN CONGRESS

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) will return as the top Republican on the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee for a third term, House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said this week as he announced a new slate of 12 appropriations cardinals. Frelinghuysen, who was rumored to be a potential replacement for Defense Appropriations Chairman C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) before Young was granted a term-limit exemption by Republicans, is one of seven subcommittee chairmen to remain in their posts for the 113th Congress, including Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), the chairman of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee. Change is expected on the Democratic side of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, however, with Ranking Member Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.) expected to replace Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) as the ranking Democrat on the powerful Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

IN THE INDUSTRY

Jim Wood, the Department of Energy’s most recent clean coal chief, was named chairman and CEO of ThermoEnergy Corp., a wastewater treatment and power generation technology development company. The Worcester, Mass.-based company is also in the process of commercializing a pressurized oxy-combustion capture technology. “Jim’s deep knowledge of boiler technologies and the coal industry, as well as his experience bringing major power projects to completion, will be enormously helpful in reaching our goals,” retiring ThermoEnergy Chairman and CEO Cary Bullock said in a statement. Wood stepped down from his position as deputy assistant secretary for Clean Coal in DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy last month after three-and-a-half years, GHG Monitor previously reported. Prior to DOE, Wood was part of the senior leadership at Babcock Power Inc., Babcock & Wilcox and Wheelabrator Technologies.